eastern United States is the latest area to be hit with extreme heat while the world plays a game of hot potato.
In the coming days, New York is expected to see temperatures rise to around 100 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit), but with humidity, it could feel more like 109 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in other cities from Detroit to Washington, DC, to Boston will see temperatures 20 degrees above normal as the holiday weekend approaches.
The temperature will not be as high as it is in Phoenix. But this is not dry heat; along with the humidity, anyone going outside is sure to have an experience roughly equivalent to being strangled in a dog’s mouth. In addition to the disadvantages of hot and humid weather, there are also serious health issues.
Moisture prevents perspiration—the most powerful means the human body has to cool itself. Sweat removes heat from the body by evaporating into the air, but this does not work well in humid conditions, when the atmosphere is already full of water vapor. “When there is a lot of humidity, especially in a heat wave, it is more difficult for the body to cool down,” says Richard Allan, a climate scientist at the University of Reading.
The National Weather Service’s warning map is a series of reds and pinks, with the agency issuing extreme heat warnings and watches. While the high daytime levels will be eye-catching, the lows at night will be very problematic.
“Several consecutive days of warm temperatures with little relief from low temperatures overnight can increase heat stress on the human body,” the NWS warned in its forecast.
The danger was emphasized by the mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani, who he wrote in a social post that New Yorkers should come up with a warm plan. First of all that means getting access to air conditioning, then checking for neighbors and people with illnesses that can make them susceptible to heat related health issues.
The heatwave comes a week after Europe faced record-breaking heat. (The continent also saw blistering heat and high humidity at the end of May.) Burning fossil fuels has ensured that almost every heat wave is more severe than the pre-industrial climate.
“Warming from the rise of greenhouse gases is clearly increasing global temperatures, and that’s adding extra heat to heat waves,” Allan says. “It’s promoting moderate heat to extreme heat … These humid conditions may be more likely to develop into warm, humid temperatures rather than just humidity and heat.”
El Niño is another culprit that may play a role in this heat wave.
Natural weather events occur every few years in the tropical Pacific, but they affect climate worldwide. That includes helping to raise temperatures across the northern tier of the United States and parts of Canada. El Niño was declared earlier this month, and it’s expected to be a stronger buzzword that will only get stronger as the summer progresses. With the warmer months ahead, that means chances are good that if you missed this chance to feel what it’s like inside a dog’s mouth, you’ll have more chances.
