A record heat wave that has been crushing the western United States since this weekend spreads to the east coast on Tuesday, and nearly 100 million Americans are placed under heatwave alert.
• Also read: July 14 could be the hottest day of summer
• Also read: A sudden weather phenomenon sows panic and causes a sudden loss of 12 degrees on a French beach
• Also read: Historic heatwave in the United Kingdom: more than 2,700 deaths in May and June due to heat
This layer of scorching air has already broken historic heat records in recent days in several localities in the west and north of the country, such as in Billings, the largest city in Montana, where the mercury reached 111 Fahrenheit (44 ° C).
This extreme heat, aggravated by the humidity of the air, is now extending towards the east coast of the country, including the large cities of Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, which have already suffered a heatwave in early July.
“Above normal temperatures and dangerous heat levels are expected to reach the Northeast on Tuesday, before the most intense heat occurs on Wednesday and extends towards the mid-Atlantic,” warned the US Weather Service (NWS).
The mercury is expected to rise in cities in the northeast to nearly 38°C before falling again at the end of the week.
The hot, humid conditions of the east coast heatwave in early July, around the time of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations, would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, according to an analysis by scientists at World Weather Attribution.
Around the world, heat waves are becoming more intense and more frequent due to climate change, mainly caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas.
According to experts, the El Niño climatic phenomenon which began in June in the equatorial Pacific could also have influenced this heat wave.
This natural variation in climate causes global changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall patterns.
According to American forecasters, this episode is expected to peak between October and December and could be one of the most intense on record.
Combined with climate change, the last El Niño helped make 2023 the second warmest year on record and 2024 the hottest year.
