April 25, 2024

Extreme Record-Breaking Heat: Heatwaves and Fires Scorch Europe, Africa, and Asia

July 13, 2022
In summertime 2022, numerous heatwaves all over the world shattered temperature records and fueled wildfires.
Heatwaves struck Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, in June and July 2022 as temperatures climbed up above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in locations and broke many long-standing records.
The map above depicts surface air temperature levels throughout most of the Eastern Hemisphere on July 13, 2022 It was developed by combining data with a version of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) worldwide design, which represents physical procedures in the atmosphere using mathematical formulas.

By Sara E. Pratt, NASA Earth Observatory
July 19, 2022

“While there is a clear pattern of an atmospheric wave with alternating warm (redder) and cool (bluer) worths in various places, this big location of extreme (and record-breaking) heat is another clear indication that emissions of greenhouse gases by human activity are causing weather extremes that affect our living conditions,” stated Steven Pawson, chief of the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
In Western Europe, which was currently suffering from extreme dry spell, the heatwave sustained fires that raged throughout Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. In Portugal, temperatures skyrocketed to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) on July 13 in the town of Leiria, where more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) had actually burned. As firefighters fought 14 active fires, more than half of the nation was on red alert.
July 12, 2022.
The above image reveals the areas of fire detections in Spain and Portugal as observed by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite on July 12, 2022. The prominent fire detections west of Madrid consist of the town of Las Hurdes where more than 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) have actually been taken in by fire.
The record heat in Italy added to the collapse of a portion of the Marmolada Glacier in the Dolomites on July 3. 11 hikers were eliminated by the snow, rock, and ice avalanche.
In the U.K., the Met Office released extreme heat or amber cautions as temperature levels were anticipated to continue to climb, potentially breaking all-time record highs.
In North Africa, Tunisia has actually endured a heatwave and fires that have harmed the nations grain crop. On July 13 in the capital city of Tunis, the temperature reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), breaking a 40-year record.
In Iran, temperatures stayed high in July after reaching a scorching 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit) in late June.
In China, the summer has actually brought 3 heatwaves that have actually melted tar, buckled roads, and popped off roofing system tiles. The Shanghai Xujiahui Observatory, where records have actually been kept since 1873, taped its greatest temperature ever: 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.9 degrees Celsius) on July 13, 2022. High humidity and dewpoints, along with warm overnight temperature levels, produced potentially fatal conditions.
“Such extreme heat has direct effects on human health, as well as having other repercussions, consisting of these fires that are occurring now in Europe and Africa, and which have actually been rampant over the past couple of years in North America,” Pawson stated.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, utilizing GEOS-5 data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC and VIIRS day-night band information from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership.

In Western Europe, which was already suffering from extreme drought, the heatwave sustained fires that raged throughout Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. In Portugal, temperature levels soared to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) on July 13 in the town of Leiria, where more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) had actually burned. The Shanghai Xujiahui Observatory, where records have been kept because 1873, tape-recorded its highest temperature level ever: 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.9 degrees Celsius) on July 13, 2022. High humidity and dewpoints, along with warm over night temperature levels, developed possibly deadly conditions.