| | | Shocking Global Map Shows the Extent of a Global Heat Wave
By Yasemin Saplakoglu, Staff Writer | July 27, 2018 06:05pm ET
The "earth" animation shows global temperatures.
Credit: earth.nullschool.net
This week, the mesmerizing globe shines in shades of orange and red, which indicate hot temperatures.
A city outside Tokyo in Japan is facing scorching temperatures of almost 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41.1 degrees Celsius). At least 86 people have died of heatstroke there since May, and 23,000 people have been hospitalized just in the past week, The New York Times reported.
But Japan isn't the only country facing record temperatures. In Sweden, an extreme heat wave caused multiple wildfires to erupt last week — some in the Arctic Circle. Also last week, Greece faced deadly wildfires fueled by extreme temperatures and high winds, killing more than 80 people, The Washington Post reported.
Earlier this month, Ouargla, a city in Algeria, probably logged the highest temperature ever recorded in Africa: 124.3 degrees F (51.3 degrees C), according to the Post. And in June, Oman logged the hottest night in recorded history and the highest low temperature ever to be recorded on Earth: 108.7 degrees F (42.6 degrees C), according to the Post.
Extreme weather — such as the current global heat wave, strong hurricanes and long droughts — is more likely to occur now because of human-induced climate change, according to a previous Live Science report. A preliminary comparison of current temperatures with historical records from seven weather stations in Europe suggests that human-induced climate change made the Europe-wide heat wave more than twice as likely to happen, according to the BBC.
Originally published on Live Science.
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