The hottest July: America’s Southwest boils in the heat
Phoenix residents have suffered burns after falling on the city’s scalding roads

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
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.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
The week’s best photojournalism
In Pictures A steaming volcano, a giant crater and more
By Anahi Valenzuela Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
What is biochar?
The Explainer The charcoal alternative formed from biomass could become the next climate solution
By Devika Rao Published
-
How climate change is going to change the insurance industry
The Explainer Some regions will soon be 'uninsurable'
By Devika Rao Published
-
Libya: the 'tsunami' that washed away a city
Talking Point Climate change may have made the storm more likely, but many blame failures of governance for the scale of the tragedy
By The Week Staff Published
-
How climate change is impacting sports around the world
Your favorite golf tournament or that long-awaited soccer match may look a bit different in the future
By Devika Rao Published
-
How the wealthy are impacting climate change, by the numbers
The Explainer The lifestyles of the rich and famous appear to be affecting the planet
By Justin Klawans Published
-
When and how could humans talk to animals?
We may be getting closer than we think
By Devika Rao Published
-
Cop28 and the fight to reach the Paris Agreement climate goals
The Explainer Al Gore says fossil fuel industry has 'captured' UN climate talks agenda
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published