Record-Breaking Heat Is a Clear Sign of Climate Change: A heat wave scorched the U.S. West just before the official start of summer, bringing record-breaking temperatures, worsening a dangerous drought and offering yet another example of how the climate crisis has upended our idea of normal.

The
immediate cause of the hot weather was a high pressure system over the
U.S. West, combined with the fact that soils are already parched from an
ongoing drought, as The AP reported.
However, these kinds of high pressure systems, or “heat domes,” are
unusual so early in the year, and this year’s is particularly severe,
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told NPR.

“It’s
not only unusual for June, but it is pretty extreme even in absolute
terms,” Swain told NPR. “It would be a pretty extreme event for August.”

Record-Breaking Heat Is a Clear Sign of Climate Change: A heat wave scorched the U.S. West just before the official start of summer, bringing record-breaking temperatures, worsening a dangerous drought and offering yet another example of how the climate crisis has upended our idea of normal. The
immediate cause of the hot weather was a high pressure system over the
U.S. West, combined with the fact that soils are already parched from an
ongoing drought, as The AP reported.
However, these kinds of high pressure systems, or “heat domes,” are
unusual so early in the year, and this year’s is particularly severe,
UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain told NPR.“It’s
not only unusual for June, but it is pretty extreme even in absolute
terms,” Swain told NPR. “It would be a pretty extreme event for August.”Read More