The numbers tell the same story over and over again. 2024 is the hottest year on record on Earth, knocking the previous record holder, 2023, out of the top spot (SN: 12/6/23). But temperature alone cannot explain the human costs. Humidity reduces the body’s ability to cool itself. Nighttime temperatures that rob people of their sleep. Power outage. wildfire smoke. Crops ruined. Increase in mosquito-borne diseases (SN: September 20, 2024).
Meanwhile, record water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico led to hurricanes Helen and Milton (SN: 10/9/24). Helen’s torrential rains caused flooding in six states in the southeastern United States, killing more than 200 people (SN: 10/1/24).
Other parts of the world have their own stories to tell about the effects of the 2024 heatwave. Here we introduce some of those accounts.
Phoenix | May to September
Arizona’s capital city recorded hundreds of heat-related deaths as daytime temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 113 consecutive days. Phoenix is ​​one of the world’s largest urban heat islands, with temperatures in the city approximately 12 degrees warmer than in surrounding rural areas.
Mexico City | May-June
unusual heat wavea prolonged drought combined with power outages led to more than 120 deaths. The resulting water shortage raised concerns in North America’s largest metropolis that Day Zero, the theoretical day when the region would run out of water, was just weeks away.
São Paulo | August to September
The Southern Hemisphere’s intense winter heat and prolonged drought have sparked wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. Particulate matter in São Paulo’s air was 14 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended standard, and the city was ranked the world’s most polluted city for four consecutive days, from September 9 to September 12.
Rio de Janeiro | march
During Brazil’s heat wave, the measured high temperature reached 107.6°F, but it felt even hotter. The heat index (a measurement that also includes humidity) has soared to a record 144.1°F, testing the limits of human heat tolerance.
Manila | April
The Philippine metropolis of more than 14 million people was hit by a deadly 15-day heatwave that would not have been possible without climate change. The heat has led to water shortages, crop losses and school closures.
Paris | July to August
Temperatures during the Olympics may not have broken records, but they were still scorching hot. The researchers determined that without climate change, Paris would be about 5 degrees cooler. This made the Olympics even more dangerous for athletes. Europe is the world’s fastest warming continentare heating up twice as fast as the global average.
Longyearbyen | July to August
August temperatures on Norway’s Spitsbergen Island, the world’s northernmost settlement, were the highest on record for that month, rising to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This surpassed the previous record set in 1997 by more than three degrees. Daily ice melt is at an all-time high, with ice being lost five times faster than normal.
Bamako | February to April
A heatwave has struck across West Africa’s Sahel region, causing power outages and a spike in hospitalizations. Between April 1 and April 4, a total of 102 deaths were recorded in hospitals in Mali’s capital. Last year, the hospital recorded 130 deaths in the entire month of April. Due to climate change, daytime maximum temperatures were 2.7 degrees warmer than normal and nights were 3.6 degrees warmer.
Gaza | April
A three-day heat wave has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Approximately 2 million displaced people in refugee camps and overcrowded shelters are unable to protect themselves from the heat and face water and food shortages, power outages, limited access to health care, and a surge in waterborne diseases. I was doing it.
Delhi | May-June
India’s National Capital Region reached a daytime high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 consecutive days, with a new record of 121.8 degrees Fahrenheit set on May 28th. Non-profit organization Heatwatch India estimates that more than 100 people have died due to the unrelenting heat.
East Antarctica | July
At the peak of winter, temperatures across much of the continent hovered around -4°F, about 50 degrees above normal. This phenomenon was the biggest extreme temperature event of the year.
