Again and again, the numbers inform the identical story: 2024 was Earth’s hottest yr on file, knocking the previous record holder — 2023 — out of the highest spot (SN: 12/6/23). However temperatures alone can’t describe the human cost: humidity that challenges the physique’s capacity to chill itself; nighttime temps that rob folks of sleep; energy outages; wildfire smoke; ruined crops; rising instances of mosquito-borne illness (SN: 9/20/24).
In the meantime, record-breaking water temperatures within the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico fueled hurricanes Helene and Milton (SN: 10/9/24). Helene’s torrential rains caused flooding across six states within the U.S. Southeast, killing over 200 folks (SN: 10/1/24).
Different elements of the world have their very own tales to inform concerning the affect of 2024’s excessive warmth. Listed below are a few of these accounts.
Phoenix | Could–September
Arizona’s capital skilled 113 straight days of daytime temperatures topping 100° Fahrenheit, with a whole lot of heat-related deaths recorded. Phoenix has one of many world’s largest city heat-island magnitudes: Metropolis temperatures are about 12 levels larger than these in surrounding rural areas.
Mexico Metropolis | Could–June
An extreme heat wave, on high of an prolonged drought, precipitated blackouts and was linked to over 120 deaths. The ensuing water shortage raised fears that North America’s largest metropolis was simply weeks from Day Zero — a theoretical day when the area would run out of water.
São Paulo | August–September
Excessive warmth within the Southern Hemisphere’s winter plus extended drought fueled wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Positive particles in São Paulo’s air have been 14 occasions the World Well being Group’s really helpful restrict, inflicting the town to be ranked because the world’s most polluted for 4 consecutive days, from September 9 to September 12.
Rio de Janeiro | March
Throughout a warmth wave in Brazil, the utmost measured temperature reached 107.6° F. However it felt even hotter. The warmth index — a measurement that additionally contains humidity — soared to a file 144.1° F, testing the bounds of people’ warmth tolerance.
Manila | April
The Philippines’ megalopolis of over 14 million folks sweltered by way of a lethal 15-day warmth wave, an occasion that will have been unattainable with out local weather change. The warmth introduced water shortages, crop losses and college closures.
Paris | July–August
Temperatures in the course of the Olympics might not have damaged information, however they have been nonetheless scorching. With out local weather change, Paris would have been about 5 levels cooler, researchers decided. That made the Video games extra harmful for athletes. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating at a charge twice the worldwide common.
Longyearbyen | July–August
August temps on the planet’s northernmost settlement, on Norway’s Spitsbergen Island, have been the very best ever recorded for that month, hovering to 68° F — greater than 3 levels larger than the earlier file, set in 1997. In July, ice caps there broke the all-time file for day by day melting, dropping ice at a charge 5 occasions the norm.
Bamako | February–April
Warmth waves throughout West Africa’s Sahel area precipitated energy cuts and spikes in hospital admissions. From April 1 to April 4, a hospital in Mali’s capital recorded a complete of 102 deaths; the earlier yr, the hospital famous 130 deaths for all of April. Local weather change amped up daytime highs by 2.7 levels and stored nights 3.6 levels hotter than common.
Gaza | April
A 3-day warmth wave exacerbated the humanitarian disaster in Palestine. Almost 2 million displaced folks in refugee camps and overcrowded shelters lacked safety from the warmth and confronted water and meals shortages, energy outages, restricted entry to well being care and spikes in waterborne illnesses.
Delhi | Could–June
India’s capital territory endured 40 straight days of daytime highs reaching 104° F, with a brand new file set on Could 28 of 121.8° F. The unrelenting warmth killed over 100 folks, the nonprofit group HeatWatch India estimates.
East Antarctica | July
At winter’s peak, temperatures throughout an enormous chunk of the continent hovered at –4° F, about 50 levels larger than regular. The occasion was the biggest temperature anomaly anyplace this yr.
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