More than 80 million people are under an Extreme Heat Warning or Heat Advisory through this week, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters at the service's Weather Prediction Center called this latest heat dome a "steamy air-mass even by mid-to-late August standards."
Dangerous record-breaking heat will continue across the South-Central U.S. and expand into the Southwest by mid-week, bringing daytime temperatures into the triple digits. Much of the desert Southwest, including parts of Arizona and New Mexico, could also break heat records, according to the National Weather Service.
As the senior climate editor at NPR, I often send out guidance to the NPR newsroom during extreme weather to help other editors and reporters understand the role of climate change.
Now, as large regions of the U.S. are under threats from dangerous heat, you might be looking for that same context and information.
PLUS: Scroll to the bottom of this article where you can ask us questions about about climate change and its influence on extreme weather.
What's happening
This latest heat wave is expected to remain over much of the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley through the middle of this week, bringing temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Southwest will continue to warm through the end of the week where daytime highs could be upwards of 110 degrees or more.
It's not just the daytime temperatures that are high. The nights won't cool down, according to the National Weather Service. These prolonged high temperatures coupled with little relief overnight increase the risk of heat-related illnesses.
Scientists are increasingly able to make the connection between the extreme weather you're experiencing — in this case, heat — and climate change. They can also show by just how much. NPR's Rebecca Hersher has reported that the climate signal is especially strong with heat. She interviewed Michael Wehner, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he studies extreme weather and the impact climate change has on that weather.
"For garden variety heat waves — like the hottest day of the year, or the hottest day every 10 years — in the U.S., climate change has increased that heat wave's temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit," Wehner explained.
As journalists, we turn to trusted sources, such as the National Climate Assessment and the World Weather Attribution — an international network of scientists — to help us report on extreme weather, and the impact of climate change. It starts with having credible sources of information such as the National Weather Service as well as peer-reviewed science. Here are a few of the links we reference early when assessing extreme weather and coverage plans.
- This map from the National Weather Service shows weather advisories across the U.S., to help guide coverage; and,
- The service's short-range national forecast, which is updated regularly, usually every few hours or as warranted.
(NPR has also reported on big cuts the Trump administration has made to NOAA and the National Weather Service.)
Understanding the role of climate change
The impact of climate change on heat waves is well established by scientists, but it can be hard to figure out what's real and what's not when there's so much information. That's why, in this section, we have linked out to groups that have a track record of credible or peer-reviewed science, and our own reporting.
Human-caused climate change is fueling longer and more intense heat waves in the U.S. and around the world, and it makes dangerously high temperatures more likely. In most weather coverage, journalists will make that connection clear.
Climate change, driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, is making heat waves more frequent and more intense than in the past. The average number of heat waves the U.S. experiences today has doubled since the 1980s.
Heat records are being surpassed more frequently because the planet is warming. The most intense heat waves would be impossible without human-caused global warming.
For example, the extreme heat in Europe in June would be virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, according to scientists at the World Weather Attribution group.
On health and heat
Yes, temperatures will be hot, but pay attention to the heat index. That's what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.
The country's current heat wave will put that index between 105-115 degrees for parts of southern Arizona as well as much of Texas, Louisiana and into northern Florida this week.
Heat-related deaths are undercounted, and heat is more deadly than hurricanes, wildfires and floods combined.
Humid heat is particularly dangerous because sweat doesn't evaporate when it's hot and humid, which means the body can't cool down. (This NPR comic breaks down how extreme heat can lead to death.)
Your turn
Extreme weather isn't new, but what's different is how climate change intensifies and, in some cases, makes it more frequent. NPR's reporters and editors are committed to helping communities understand the far-reaching impacts and what's being done, but we need your help.
What questions do you have about climate change and its influence on extreme weather? Let us know through the form below. Your questions could help shape our future reporting.
Sadie Babits is the senior supervising climate editor for NPR and author of Hot Takes: Every Journalist's Guide to Covering Climate Change.
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