2023 Western North America heat wave

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2023 Western North America heat wave
AreasWestern North America
Start dateMay 2023
Losses
Deaths695
  • 112 (Mexico)[1]
  • 583 (United States)[2]

Starting in May 2023, a heat wave affected Western North America. The heat wave entailed wildfires in Alberta, record temperatures across Canada and the US, and over 100 deaths in Mexico. The heat also accelerated snow melt in mountain ranges, causing flooding and mudslides. According to scientists, climate change increased the strength of the 2023 heatwaves including in North America.[3][4][5]

Geographic extent of warming: Average temperatures in almost all regions in the U.S. have increased in the last 120 years.[6]
In recent decades in the U.S., the percentage of record high daily temperatures has predominated over record daily low temperatures, with record daily highs now more than twice that of record daily lows.[7]

Overview[edit]

Canada[edit]

The heat wave has fueled the wildfires in Alberta.[8][9] Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for the northern parts of Alberta and parts of British Columbia. Environment Canada stated, "While the developing heat may result in daily temperature records being broken, it must be emphasized that the expected hot conditions will not approach those reached during the 'Heat Dome' of late June 2021".[10]

On May 13, the hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut reached 21.2 °C (70.2 °F), which was about 7 °C (13 °F) higher than the previous May record.[11] The next day, Squamish, British Columbia reached a record high temperature of 35.5 °C (95.9 °F),[8] and Lytton and Tofino set monthly records of 35.9 °C (96.6 °F) and 28.3 °C (82.9 °F), respectively.[11]

United States[edit]

On May 12, the National Weather Service issued a health advisory between May 13 and 15 for the western parts of Oregon and Washington state.[12][13]

On May 13, four locations in the Seattle region broke temperature records, with Quillayute reaching 90 °F (32 °C), SeaTac reaching 86 °F (30 °C), and Olympia and Hoquiam reaching 89 °F (32 °C).[14]

On May 14, cities such as Hoquiam, Washington and Florence, Oregon set monthly temperature records, with high temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or above. Seattle reached 89 °F (32 °C) the same day.[8] Eugene and Portland reached 94 °F (34 °C) and 92 °F (33 °C), respectively.[9]

The heat has caused the snow on some mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada, Colorado Rockies and Cascade Range to melt rapidly, posing danger due to flooding, mudslides and landslides.[15] On May 14, flooding of the Ogden River forced residents of Huntsville, Utah to evacuate their homes,[16] and part of State Route 504 near Mount St. Helens in Cowlitz County, Washington, was destroyed by a mudslide off the Cascade mountains.[15]

In mid-June, more than 100 million individuals, or almost one-third of all Americans, were "under extreme heat advisories".[17]

Phoenix weather record report for July 2023

On July 31, Phoenix, Arizona ended a 31-day streak of high temperatures of over 110 °F (43 °C).[18] The average temperature in Phoenix during July 2023 was 102.7 °F (39.3 °C), the hottest month in for any U.S. city in history.[19] On July 19, Phoenix broke their all time warmest low temperature by only falling to 97 °F (36 °C) at night.[20] The extreme heat resulted in 569 deaths in Phoenix.[21]

The summer heat wave resulted in Texas experiencing its second hottest summer on record in 2023, with the full year being its hottest on record. Over 300 people died from heat in Texas in 2023, the most since the state began tracking such deaths in 1989.[22]

Mexico[edit]

Over 100 people died across Mexico as a result of two weeks of heat waves in the country.[23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mexico: Heat wave claims over 100 lives – DW – 06/30/2023". dw.com.
  2. ^ "Deadly heatwave envelops Mexico and southern US". www.aljazeera.com.
  3. ^ "Extreme heat in North America, Europe and China in July 2023 made much more likely by climate change". World Weather Attribution. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "July 2023 Is Hottest Month Ever Recorded on Earth". Scientific American. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. ^ IGINI, MARTINA. "More than 80% of People on Earth Experienced a Hotter July Triggered by Climate Change: Report". Earth.Org. Climate central. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Climate Change Indicators: U.S. and Global Temperature". EPA.gov. Environmental Protection Agency. 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. (FIg. 3) EPA's data source: NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 2021. Climate at a glance. Accessed February 2021. www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag. (Direct link to graphic; archive)
  7. ^ "United States - Records Set By Decade". ClimateCentral.org. Climate Central. October 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. (Related chart in source, and archive thereof). Climate Central credits "Guy Walton and NOAA/NCEI" for data.
  8. ^ a b c Prociv, Kathryn (May 15, 2023). "Pacific Northwest heat wave continues after historic weekend". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Canon, Gabrielle (May 15, 2023). "Punishing heatwave grips Pacific north-west as wildfires rage in western Canada". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Gray, Jennifer (May 15, 2023). "Record-breaking heat scorches the western US and Canada as wildfires continue to rage". CNN. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Freedman, Andrew (May 16, 2023). "Pacific Northwest heat wave shatters records". Axios. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Early Heat Wave in Pacific Northwest Could Break Records". U.S. News and World Report. Associated Press. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Kohli, Anisha (May 13, 2023). "A Heatwave Is Sweeping Across the Pacific Northwest". Time. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Oxenden, McKenna; Cameron, Chris (May 13, 2023). "12 Million People Are Under a Heat Advisory in the Pacific Northwest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Jacobo, Julia (May 17, 2023). "Complications arise in the West as early heat wave causes snowpack to melt rapidly". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Fox, Derick (May 15, 2023). "Huntsville homes face evacuation as Ogden River floods". ABC4 Utah. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Oliver, Mark; Sainato, Michael (July 16, 2023). "Millions in US under warnings as record heat expected to continue next week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Sganga, Nicole (August 1, 2023). "The hottest July: Inside Phoenix's brutal 31 days of 110-degree heat – CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  19. ^ "Phoenix officially records hottest month ever, sets national record for July 2023". AZ Family. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  20. ^ Phoenix breaks all-time record for warmest low, sets a new daily high, Fox 10 Phoenix, July 19, 2023
  21. ^ Phoenix sets all-time record again for heat-associated deaths after scorching summer, Fox Weather, November 3, 2023
  22. ^ ""I don't wish this on anyone": Two families mourn their losses after a record year for Texas heat deaths". Texas Tribune. January 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "Heat wave in Mexico leaves at least 100 dead, authorities say". Reuters. June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
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