Hot as Hell: What's causing the record-shattering heatwave in the US and Canada?

West Canada and the Pacific Northwest, which are known for their pleasant climates, are sweltering in the summer heat. Even those temperatures typically observed towards the end of July are rising above average due to the heatwave. The United States and western Canada will continue to experience “heat dome” weather for the majority of this week, according to the weather service. This incident won’t be as severe as the scorching heat dome that shattered records in the area in June 2021 and caused hundreds of fatalities. But it still raises public health concerns in areas with gentle and pleasant summers. Also read: India's Killer Summer: What a heatwave does to your body Record-breaking heatwave in the US Extended forecasts indicate record heat is likely over large areas of Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and Montana in the US, as per Climate Central. In the Pacific Northwest, numerous locations broke daily high-temperature records on 15 May: Seattle-Tacoma Airport recorded 31.6 degrees Celsius, Olympia 32 degrees Celsius, Hoquiam 32.8 degrees Celsius, which also broke the May all-time high-temperature record, Quillayute 33.3 degrees Celsius, which also tied the May all-time high-temperature record. Temperatures in Eugene and Portland, Oregon, respectively, were 33.3 and 34.4 degrees Celsius. According to the National Weather Service office in Seattle, “Today will be the 4th day in a row with highs in the 80s for Seattle. This will tie the record for most consecutive days with highs 26.6 degrees Celsius plus in the month of May.” The average high temperature in Seattle at the end of July is 26.1 degrees Celsius, so the current temperatures are significantly higher than even those average highs. According to CNN, in the Pacific Northwest, many residents lack air conditioning, and because nightly lows are frequently warm as well, the body is unable to quickly recover from the heat of the day. In response, Oregon passed a law requiring all new housing built after April 2024 to have air conditioning installed in at least one room. The law already prohibits landlords in most cases from restricting tenants from installing cooling devices in their rental units, reported Associated Press. More than 10 million people in the Pacific Northwest and parts of Central California have received heat alerts as a result. The weather pattern closely approaches one that would be experienced in the midst of summer in the area. The Northwest is under a large dome of high pressure, which is allowing dry, downslope winds to blow off the mountains and raising temperatures over average. Also read: Burning Hot: These regions are likely to witness record-smashing heat waves Canada braces for ‘heat dome’ Not just Americans are feeling the heat. In Canada’s western regions, it has been considerably more severe. According to CNN, Sunday saw new monthly records established in a number of British Columbian locations, including Lytton, which reached a high of roughly 36.1 degrees Celsius, which is hotter than the typical temperature Phoenix, Arizona, sees at this time of year. Wildfires that have already forced tens of thousands of locals to flee are anticipated to get worse due to the weather. On Thursday, there were 75 active wildfires burning in Alberta, 23 of which were considered to be out of control. Oil and gas production, which usually withstands weather-related interruptions, was briefly suspended in some places, the report says. According to recent forecasts, a higher pressure system that is “stronger than anything we have seen” since records began forty years ago is emerging over the Canadian Prairies, according to Florida-based meteorologist Jeffery Berardelli, who spoke to The Guardian. “A ‘heat dome’ like this is a very rare occurrence in this part of the world this time of year,” he wrote in an email. According to statistics and history, it occurs less frequently than once every 1,000 years. [caption id=“attachment_12603892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Saturday’s temperatures reached record-breaking highs for several cities across western Washington, with a heat advisory in effect until Monday evening. AP[/caption] According to Berardelli, the region’s environment is currently hotter than in prior decades, implying that these sporadic incidents will become more often in the years to come. Given the cooler nighttime temperatures, the current weather pattern is unlikely to result in widespread mortality, despite the intensity of the 2021 heatwave that killed more than 600 people in British Columbia and caused massive die-offs of marine life. However, temperatures in some areas of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho will likely exceed historical norms by hotter than 15 degrees Celsius. King County, home to Seattle, directed transportation operators such as bus drivers to let people ride for free if they’re seeking respite from the heat or heading to a cooling centre. The county’s regional homeless authority said several cooling and day centres will be open across the county, as per AP. Hot temperatures to melt the snow This week’s rising temperatures will threaten over 150 high-temperature records across the West. The Rockies and the middle and southern Plains will experience heat this week, but the West will experience the most extreme temperatures. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing 20 to 30 degrees above average temperatures. The weather service in Boise, Idaho, told CNN, “To put it in perspective, highs will be near record values each day. These hot temperatures will increase snowmelt in the mountains. Mainstream rivers fed by snowpack will be running high, swift and cold.” “Rivers are still running cold. We have snow melting and temperatures … probably in the low- to mid-40s (4.4 to 7.2 C) right now. You’re nice and warm and jump into the cold water — that could pose a risk to getting cold water shock,” VOA news quoted National Weather Service meteorologist Higa as saying. Weather service offices all around the West are advising people to avoid the water and seek out other ways to escape the heat. Most of the time, the water is in the fifties, which is too cold to swim in without getting cold water shock and hyperthermia. Climate change at play The recent heat wave serves as yet another reminder that as long as people continue to emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, summers will continue to get hotter and arrive earlier. A recent Climate Central analysis claims that the approaching “heat dome” has “clear fingerprints of climate change” and has five times enhanced the likelihood of temperature records. In recent years, the region’s springtime temperatures have been hotter and dryer than usual, which has accelerated the start of the fire season. However, since January, more than 410,000 hectares of forest have burned, which is more than twice the amount that is typically lost in a season. According to The Guardian, indigenous rural communities have been particularly hard-hit by the recent fires. 45 structures, including the senior facility for the community, have burned down at Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. More than 2,000 people have been evicted from their homes as wildfires continue to threaten nine First Nations in Alberta. John Vaillant, author of the book Fire Weather told the outlet, “Fire isn’t going away. We’re going to be burning for this entire century. We’re going through a global regime change and a whole bunch of things are going to catch on fire, and catch on fire again, until something new grows there, something different grows there or nothing grows there. This is a global shift. It’s an epochal shift, and we happen to be alive for it.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.