UNITED STATES – Summertime, 2024 – This summer’s heat wave has affected Americans from coast to coast. Over 60 million people have been under a heat alert this month in the West, including record high temperatures in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City, and Denver. As of July 13th, more than 300 suspected heat-related deaths have occurred in the Phoenix area this summer and almost 100 in a single week, from July 7 to 13, when temperatures soared to 118 degrees. In the East, there has been hot weather from New England to the mid-Atlantic states, with record highs in Boston and Washington, DC. About 130 million people experienced some of the hottest temperatures of the summer on July 17th. Over 220 million Americans had temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit last week, particularly in the East and the Central states.
The U.S. is already having its second-warmest summer, and it isn’t even over yet. While much of the country will have above-average temperatures for the rest of July and the beginning of August, much of the South usually has its peak average temperatures during the latter part of August. The warmest season out west usually occurs in September. According to EU’s climate change monitoring service, June was the hottest month since records began in the mid-1800’s, prior to the industrial era. Meanwhile, our planet has had 13 straight months of record monthly average global surface temperatures. This data may suggest that 2024 will surpass 2023 as the hottest year ever.
Climate Central, a non-government advocacy group, reports that the average summertime temperatures at night are also warmer than normal. Therefore, people may not get enough relief from the heat during the day, increasing health risks.
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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org