The hottest July: America’s Southwest boils in the heat
Phoenix residents have suffered burns after falling on the city’s scalding roads
July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, said David Wallace-Wells in The New York Times – and for the residents of Arizona, it certainly felt like it.
Only on the last day of the month did the state’s capital, Phoenix, finally register a temperature high below 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3°C). The city’s asphalt roads reached temperatures of 180°F (82.2°C) and local burn units have been full of patients who sustained their injuries by simply falling onto the scalding ground.
Even the region’s famous saguaro cactuses are collapsing in the heat. And conditions have been similarly extreme elsewhere in the US too. There has been a rise in injuries across the Southwest from people walking outside barefoot or touching hot door handles. Meanwhile, off the Florida Keys, ocean temperatures have reached “hot-tub” levels: one sensor registered a crazy 101.1°F (38.4°C).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The dangers of extreme heat
“There is no denying that climate change is now a public health crisis,” said Leana S. Wen in The Washington Post. In the 1960s, America experienced an average of two heatwaves per year; now it’s six, and they’re getting worse. Extreme heat already kills more Americans than hurricanes or any other weather phenomenon. Some of those deaths are the result of heatstroke; others are caused by the exacerbation of underlying medical conditions.
Changing weather patterns are also leaving Americans vulnerable to more illnesses. Lyme disease, for instance, is spreading, and over the past few months there have been seven cases of locally acquired malaria in Florida and one case in Texas.
Heat waves are disasters
Federal leaders have yet to fully acknowledge this new reality, said the Los Angeles Times. No president, for instance, has ever issued an emergency or major disaster declaration for extreme heat. That needs to change. Federal disaster relief would provide local governments with much-needed funds to offset the costs of heat-related medical emergencies and to better protect themselves against future heatwaves.
Summer is supposed to be blissful, said Scott Simon on NPR. “School is out. Vacations are planned. We can go coatless, feel carefree.” But in the past few years, it has become a “season to fear”, with festivals, outdoor concerts and sporting events having to be cancelled because of unsafe temperatures and pollution from wildfires. Soon, we may spend most of July and August longing for winter.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
2024: the year of extreme hurricanes
In the Spotlight An eagle eye at a deadly hurricane season
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Chocolate is the latest climate change victim, but scientists may have solutions
Under the radar Making the sweet treat sustainable
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How would reaching net zero change our lives?
Today's Big Question Climate target could bring many benefits but global heating would continue
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What are Trump's plans for the climate?
Today's big question Trump's America may be a lot less green
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The bacterial consequences of hurricanes
Under the radar Floodwaters are microbial hotbeds
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How safe are cruise ships in storms?
The Explainer The vessels are always prepared
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversible
Speed Read Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published