All posts tagged: extreme heat

New York Is About to Feel Hotter Than Phoenix

New York Is About to Feel Hotter Than Phoenix

Published by skeptic

The eastern US is the latest place to be hit with intense heat as the world plays a game of hot potato. In the coming days, New York is expected to see temperatures rise to near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), but with humidity, it could feel more like 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). Temperatures in other cities ranging from Detroit to Washington, DC, to Boston will see temperatures 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal as the holiday weekend approaches. The temperatures won’t be as high as they are in Phoenix. But this isn’t a dry heat; coupled with the humidity, anyone venturing outside is sure to experience roughly the equivalent of hanging out inside a dog’s mouth. Beyond the sheer grossness of hot, humid weather, there are also very serious health concerns. Humidity hampers sweating—the most powerful tool the human body has to cool off. Sweat removes heat from the body by evaporating into the air, but this becomes less effective in humid conditions, when the atmosphere is already full of vaporized water. …

‘Heat dome’ threatens sweltering conditions for World Cup fans, players

‘Heat dome’ threatens sweltering conditions for World Cup fans, players

Published by Sam Flores

HYDRATION BREAKS FEATURE AT TOURNAMENT The conditions have the potential to reignite the issue of player safety and welfare that came up a year ago during the Club World Cup, which was held in the US, when FIFPRO said the scorching weather should serve as a “wake-up call”. FIFA instituted mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in each half in every match for the World Cup this year, a measure that supporters say benefits player welfare but critics argue disrupts the flow of play at the tournament. World Soccer’s governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment on any additional measures that could be taken for player or fan safety during the expected period of intense heat.  Toronto, which will host a Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia on Thursday, put its “Heat Relief Strategy” into effect after Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a heat warning that runs from Tuesday through Friday. Three of the stadiums hosting matches under the umbrella of the heat dome – Atlanta, Dallas and Houston – …

When will the UK heatwave end? Met Office issues forecast for 17C drop in temperature

When will the UK heatwave end? Met Office issues forecast for 17C drop in temperature

Published by Sam Flores

The Met Office has revealed when the heatwave is likely to end, bringing some hope of relief as the UK continues to suffer from extreme heat this week. Records for the hottest day in June were broken for three consecutive days this week as temperatures rocketed to 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday. A rare red weather Met Office alert stretching from London up to Oxford, and across towards Canterbury, ended at 9pm on Friday after health services, schools and transportation hubs were drastically impacted. Hospitals declared critical incidents, more than 500 schools closed and passengers were warned not to travel as the “exceptional spell of hot and humid weather” caused chaos. A woman uses a fan as she walks near the Houses of Parliament (Reuters) An amber warning remains in place across the east of England, the Midlands, and parts of the North West, and extends into Saturday for the South East. Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said that the temperatures would gradually …

‘Super’ weather event warning – UK could face extreme more heatwaves | Weather | News

‘Super’ weather event warning – UK could face extreme more heatwaves | Weather | News

Published by Sam Flores

The UK could see more extreme heat if a developing El Niño event intensifies global warming (Image: Getty) Meteorologists are warning that a powerful El Niño weather pattern developing in the Pacific could drive global temperatures even higher later this year, with potential knock-on effects for UK summers and winters. The alert comes as NASA satellites confirm that El Niño conditions are now underway, with unusually warm waters forming in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The phenomenon, which typically occurs every two to seven years, is linked to widespread changes in global weather patterns, including increased rainfall in parts of the Americas and drought conditions in the western Pacific. Experts say a strong event could also contribute to extreme heat across much of the world, including indirect impacts on the UK climate. While the influence on Britain is not direct, scientists warn that a powerful El Niño can amplify global warming trends already pushing temperatures higher. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a natural climate cycle that shifts between a warming El Niño phase and a …

Met Office extends red weather warning as extreme heat batters UK – full list of 22 areas | Weather | News

Met Office extends red weather warning as extreme heat batters UK – full list of 22 areas | Weather | News

Published by Sam Flores

A rare red weather warning has been extended by the Met Office, as a record-breaking heatwave continues to batter the UK. The extreme red weather warning has now been extended through Friday for London and parts of south-eastern England. It will be valid from midnight to 9pm BST. The weather agency says that the “exceptional spell of hot and humid weather will continue across this region, with impacts to the general population highly likely”. Maximum temperatures in the shade could exceed a boiling 37C, perhaps rising to 38C to 40C in some places. A Met Office spokesperson said: “Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to make precautions and adapt their daily routines where possible to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the UK.” Britain has basked in exceptionally hot and humid conditions for three days in a row – meeting the official threshold for a heatwave. Last night was provisionally the warmest June night on record in the …

Met Office issues 47-hour power cuts warning for 71 UK areas from Monday | Weather | News

Met Office issues 47-hour power cuts warning for 71 UK areas from Monday | Weather | News

Published by Sam Flores

The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for extreme heat on Monday in 71 areas across the country – and has warned the hot weather could bring power cuts. The forecaster warned that the sweltering conditions could cause “heat-sensitive systems and equipment” to break down, resulting in “power cuts and the loss of other services to homes and businesses”. The weather warnings will come into force at 1am on Monday (June 22) and will end at 11.59pm on Tuesday (June 23). The Met Office has warned that a “developing hot spell through Monday and Tuesday will likely lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure”. Forecasters have also increased their temperature forecast, with highs of 35C expected on Tuesday and Wednesday and growing confidence that the UK’s June temperature record of 35.6C, set in Southampton in 1976, could be broken. In the event of a power cut, the Met Office offers the following advice: Nottingham Nottinghamshire London & South East England Bath and North East Somerset Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole West Midlands Conurbation Source …

Surprising new study links hot days during pregnancy to fewer male births

Surprising new study links hot days during pregnancy to fewer male births

Published by Jenni Sidey

Heat does not have to reach record-breaking levels to change what happens in the womb. Across millions of births in sub-Saharan Africa and India, days with high maximum temperatures during pregnancy linked to a subtle but consistent shift in who makes it to delivery. Fewer boys were born after hotter stretches. However, the timing of the heat mattered. So did the place. The findings come from a large analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers paired high-resolution daily temperature records with about 5 million births drawn from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted from 2000 to 2022. The study’s question was blunt: can ambient temperature during conception and pregnancy nudge the human sex ratio at birth, the count of boys relative to girls? It can. But not for one single reason. Conceptual framework on biological health and behavioral mechanisms in response to temperature exposure before birth that may cause sex-specific mortality responses. (CREDIT: PNAS) A number that usually hardly moves In most countries, the sex ratio at birth falls in …

Rising Temperatures Are Taking a Toll on Sleep Health

Rising Temperatures Are Taking a Toll on Sleep Health

Published by skeptic

There’s also the physiological effect of heat itself on our breathing. “Heat may also destabilize breathing control, increase fluid retention, and promote dehydration, all of which can make the upper airway more collapsible and increase the likelihood of sleep apnea,” says Lucia Pinilla, another researcher at Flinders University investigating the subject. At the same time, sleep apnea is already expected to become a growing problem for those living in cities, due to the chronic impact of air pollution on nighttime breathing, something which is only predicted to get worse. Last year, Hong Kong researchers led a study where they found that both short and long-term exposure to PM2.5 particles—tiny airborne particles, less than 2.5 micrometers wide, which are generated by sources such as vehicle exhausts, factory emissions, and wildfires and can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream—makes sleep apnea more likely. Others have shown that the same is true for nitrogen dioxide, a reddish brown gas released into the air from exhausts, power plants and other industrial facilities, while exposure to pollution also worsens …