Heat wave rages across North America - Canada sees record 49.5 degrees

The story: A heatwave hit large parts of the US Pacific Northwest and Canada, melting previous records. The US National Weather Service issued heat wa

Heat wave rages across North America - Canada sees record 49.5 degrees

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• The story: A heatwave hit large parts of the US Pacific Northwest and Canada, melting previous records. The US National Weather Service issued heat warnings, and some cities opened cooling centres, where residents escape the heat in air-conditioned buildings.
• Deaths: Hundreds of people are likely dead as a result of record-breaking temperatures in Canada and the US Northwest, with more than 60 fatalities in the US state of Oregon and more in Canada. The Canadian province of British Columbia experienced a 195 per cent increase in sudden deaths.
• Heat domes: The heat over western parts of Canada and the US has been caused by a dome of static high-pressure hot air stretching from California to the Arctic territories. Temperatures have been easing in coastal areas but there is not much respite for inland regions.
• Climate change: Experts say climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, however linking any single event to global warming is complicated. As the climate changes, there could be an increase in the number of deaths from floods, storms and heatwaves, experts say. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said that since there have been more and more of this type of extreme weather event in the past years, so realistically, this heatwave won’t be the last. The risk of wildfires has risen in step with the soaring temperatures, with the governor of Oregon issuing a state of emergency and many parts of Canada under threat.
• Greta Thunberg: Climate activist Greta Thunberg hit out at media coverage of the North American heatwave which shows beach and swimming pools, rather than focusing on the deaths and wildfires it has caused. She tweeted that some outlets show “happy people on beaches, pools or playing in fountains” and not “the record breaking Canadian town’s on fire”. One Met Office scientist said that the 49.6C recorded in the Canadian village of Lytton “would have been almost impossible” without human-driven climate change.
• Towns being evacuated: A town in Canada was evacuated after it became engulfed by a fast-moving wildfire following a record-breaking heatwave. Temperatures in Lytton, British Columbia, reached 49.6C and the mayor said that the ‘whole town’ was on fire. The village of Lytton, with a population of over 200 people, was ordered to be evacuated after authorities warned of a rapidly deteriorating wildfire.

 

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