Headline
Pacific Northwest Heat Wave Shatters Records
Pacific Northwest, US
Climate Signal: Climate change is leading to more frequent, hotter, and longer-lasting heat waves. Check out our Heat page for more information.
Article Excerpt:
Michael Wehner, a climate scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, told Axios that it is unusual to have another significant, record-breaking heat event so soon, in virtually the same region, as the June 2021 event.
- "I realize that the two events are completely independent, but it is still a surprise," he said via email.
- He cited published research showing that human-caused climate change has made the high temperatures during this and many other heat waves at least 3°F to 5°F hotter.
- A slew of other studies show climate change is causing heat waves to be more intense, more frequent and longer lasting.
- A climate attribution study on the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave found that it would have been "virtually impossible" to have occurred without climate change.
Full Story: Axios
Related Content
Science Source
| Science Advances
Unprecedented climate events: Historical changes, aspirational targets, and national commitments
Noah S. Diffenbaugh, Deepti Singh, and Justin S. Mankin
Science Source
| American Meteorological Society
Sixfold Increase in Historical Northern Hemisphere Concurrent Large Heatwaves Driven by Warming and Changing Atmospheric Circulations
Cassandra D. W. Rogers , Kai Kornhuber , Sarah E. Perkins-Kirkpatrick et al
Science Source
| American Meteorological Society
Diverse Characteristics of U.S. Summer Heat Waves
Bradfield Lyon and Anthony G. Barnston
Science Source
| Geophysical Research Letters
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Heat Wave Severity and Coverage Across the United States
David Keellings and Hamid Moradkhani
