2023 Heat Waves
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heat wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...
s began across parts of the northern hemisphere in April 2023. Various heat records have been broken, with July being the hottest month ever recorded. Scientists have attributed the heat waves to
man-made climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
. Another cause is the
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
phenomena which began to develop in 2023. However, recent findings show that climate change is exacerbating the strength of
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
. The heatwaves caused severe damage in areas such as the
western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...
,
southern Europe Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...
, and parts of Asia. The abnormal temperatures have led to a "very extreme" likelihood of wildfires, according to the
Fire Weather Index The Forest fire weather index (FWI) (French: indice forêt météo, IFM) is an estimation of the risk of wildfire computed by Météo France and the Meteorological Service of Canada. It was introduced in France in 1992 but is based on a Canadian e ...
. The heatwaves were also occurring alongside some unusually heavy flooding (i.e. the 2023 European floods). In response to the heatwave some leaders called for greater action to stop climate change. US President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
took some measures to protect the population from extreme heat.


Background

Heat waves are one of the deadliest hazards, and in line with the IPCC prediction their frequency and magnitude are rising due to
man-made climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
. The July heat wave in Southern Europe and North America would be virtually impossible and the heat wave in China would be a 1 in 250-year event without climate change. But due to climate change those events are now common. July 2023 was the hottest July on Earth in the last 120,000 years and the hottest July from the beginning of temperature measurement with a wide margin. During each day in July 2023, two billion people experienced heat conditions made at least three times more likely due to climate change and 6.5 billion people experienced this impact at least one day in the month. Another cause is the
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
phenomena which began to develop in 2023. El Niño begin when parts of the Pacific Ocean became warmer than average and generally cause a rise in the global temperature as it "is moving some of the energy up from depth and dumping it into the atmosphere", However, recent findings show that climate change is exacerbating the strength of El Niño. It is increasing "the "variability" of the
El Niño-Southern Oscillation EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
" creating both stronger
El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
and
La Niña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
events. Climate change may also cause changes in the
jet stream Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow thermal wind, air currents in the Earth's Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere. The main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds, flowing west to east around the gl ...
s that probably contributed to the heat waves. Warming in certain Arctic regions makes the jet stream weaker and wavier, causing different weather patterns to stay longer over the same place.


International

2023 was the hottest year on record, 1.48 °C warmer than the pre-industrial level. The world breached the
Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...
1.5 °C warming mark for a record number of days. From January to September, the global mean temperature was 1.40 °C higher than the pre-industrial average (1850–1900). January 2023 was the seventh warmest on record – 0.25 °C warmer than the normal but 0.33 °C cooler than January 2020. In July, the global average temperature was 17.32 °C (63.17 °F).


Oceans

Above-average temperatures in the northeastern South Pacific were recorded in March 2023. The average sea temperature of the
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
was on 5 March, exceeding the previous record set in 2020 by 0.1 °C. On 5 June, the recorded temperature rose to , surpassing a record set in 2010 by 0.1 °C. On 1 August 2023, the average
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
reached , the highest ever recorded. In September, the sea ice in Antarctica was far below any previous recorded winter level.


Africa


North Africa

There was a three-day heatwave in the
Western Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
region, originating in North Africa, from 26 to 28 April. The temperature reached over in parts of Morocco and Algeria. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia still reached temperatures of up to on 13 July. Another heat wave hit
Tabarka Tabarka ( ') is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, close to the Algeria–Tunisia border, border with Algeria. Tabarka was occupied at various times by Punic people, Punics, Greeks, Roman people, Romans, Arabs, Genoa, Genoese and O ...
, Tunisia, on 14 July. Data recorded on 18 July showed temperatures of in
Tozeur Tozeur (; ) is a city in southwest Tunisia. The city is located northwest of Chott el Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el Gharsa. It is the capital of Tozeur Governorate. It was the site of the ancient city and former bishopr ...
, Tunisia, in
Chlef Chlef () is the capital of Chlef Province, Algeria. Located in the north of Algeria, west of the capital, Algiers, it was founded in 1843, as Orléansville, on the ruins of Roman ''Castellum Tingitanum''. In 1962, it was renamed al-Asnam, but ...
, Algeria (with many other places exceeding ), and in Kharga, Egypt. There had been a week of power cuts and temperatures in
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
by 19 July. The heat wave became even more intense in the following days. Data recorded on 23 July showed temperatures of in
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, Algeria, the highest recorded temperature in the city, as well as temperatures in Kairouan, Tunisia. On 24 July,
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, Tunisia reached a temperature of . On 24 July,
Ghar el-Melh Ghar el-Melh (, ''Ghar al-Milh'', "Salt Grotto"), the classical Rusucmona and CastraDelia and colonial is a town and former port on the southern side of Cape Farina in Bizerte Governorate, Tunisia. History Phoenician colony The Phoenician set ...
in northern Tunisia reached a temperature of . Heavy rain flooded Al-Marj and Derna on 12 September, killing nearly 250 in Derna, Libya. Up to 20,000 were killed on 14 September, as new floods hit
Bengazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...
, Libya.


Sub-Saharan Africa

Data recorded on 18 July showed temperatures of in the Faya station, Chad and temperatures in
Bilma Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger with, as of the 2012 census, a total population of 4,016 people. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. It ...
, Niger. 20 July saw temperatures suddenly drop to a seasonal low.


Asia


Middle East

A heat wave in early June hit Israel, with temperatures between in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
and in the Jordan Valley. Along with high winds, the heat wave caused hundreds of
bushfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
s. Roads and some buildings were evacuated amid rolling electricity outages on 2 July. Firefighters quickly controlled the fires, limiting property damage. In Iran, a
heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...
was recorded at Persian Gulf International Airport on 16 July. Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia recorded on 18 July. A local record rainfall was recorded as around 125 kilograms per square meter of rainfall (equivalent to the usual amount for the whole of September) hit Istanbul in under 6 hours on 7 September according to the city's governor as heavy rain fell across north west Turkey's Black Sea coast. Floods also hit houses areas in Igneada district of Kirklareli, Turkey on that day. Heavy rainstorms triggered flash floods across northwest Turkey, killing at least 6 according to the state broadcaster,
TRT Haber TRT Haber ( English: TRT News) is a Turkish news and current affairs television channel. It was listed by Anadolu Agency Anadolu Agency (, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey. History The Anadolu Agenc ...
.


Other parts of Asia

February 2023 was recorded as the warmest February in India for 122 years. Starting in April 2023, a record-breaking heat wave in Asia has affected multiple countries, including India, China, Laos and Thailand. Turkmenistan recorded temperatures in early April. The
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said on 26 April that fires started in May continued to burn from Russia's Chelyabinsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk Oblasts, Primorye Krai, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Temperatures over were recorded in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China on 31 May. Beijing hit on 6 June after ten days of temperatures above . The government ordered all employers to stop any outdoor work and for people to work from home if possible. Parts of Mongolia recorded , especially in eastern steppe and southern Gobi provinces, with a prediction of for 21 June, in the Khanbogd Soum. Heatstroke claimed 22 lives in
Mardan Mardān is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). ...
and
Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
, Pakistan on 26 June. On 16 July, China recorded a record-breaking temperature of at Aydang, Turpan, Xinjiang Province as well as Sanbao, China. Temperatures above persisted for four weeks in Beijing. The Japanese government and
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
issued health advice to the general public as heatstroke alerts for 20 of the country's 47 prefectures, mostly east and southwest on 16 July. Temperatures nearing were recorded in Kiryu city,
Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...
, Hachioji in western Tokyo, Hirono town in
Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...
and Nasushiobara. Torrential rain poured down in northern Japan, causing floods and a resultant landslide on 16 July. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued a heat wave warning on the 19th and warned people to expected temperatures of 33 °C for the foreseeable future, with southern Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong Province and some southern regions to see some rain which was expected to be about 5 to 20 millimetres in total depth on the 19th. On the 20th a heatwave is declared in Mongolia after temperatures of continue in the Khanbogd soum. Japan's government and Fire and Disaster Management Agency responded to the ongoing excessive heat by issuing more health advisory notices to the public on 19 July. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency's official weekly statistics for 19 July showed 8,189 (4,484 were 65 or over) were hospitalized that week, up 200% compared to the previous week and the same week in 2022. Tokyo had the highest number with 1,066, up 460% compared to 2022. 3,215 got heatstroke at home 1,445 got it outside nationwide. 3 people had also died that week as the heat reached 39 °C in many parts of Japan on 19 July. South Korea and China had reported deadly floods due to unusually heavy rains, leaving several dozen people dead on the 23rd. The record heat continued in Japan and Korea on the 23rd. The remnants of
Typhoon Doksuri Typhoon Doksuri, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Egay, was a powerful and highly destructive tropical cyclone which became the costliest typhoon to hit China, the costliest tropical cyclone outside of the Atlantic hurricane, North Atl ...
hits Hebei province and Beijing, killing 21 people as it did so. 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain fell on Beijing between July 26 and August 2 according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau as Beijing and the province of Hebei had floods that destroyed roads, knocked out power and cut water pipes. Zhuozhou, in Hebei was so badly hit that local police posted a plea on
Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ac ...
for lights to assist rescue workers in the devastated city.


August

It was at Seoul, S. Korea on August 4. 33 died on 14 August as a flood induced landslide hit villages in India's Himalayan regions.


September

Flood induced landslides hit Shimla in the Indian Himalayas on 7 September.


October

High temperatures, a sand storm and air pollution form a toxic smog over Dushanbe on 8 October.


Europe


The Balkans


July

Athens records a temperature of and Santorini hits on 19 July 2023. Bush fires hit Rhodes on 22 and 23 July. Bush fires hit
Lardos Lardos () is a Greek village on the Lardos stream, also called Fonias. located at the eastern part of the island of Rhodes, South Aegean region. In 2021 its population was 1,888. Overview The village is about 54 km south of the town of Rhodes and ...
and
Kiotari Kiotari () is a coastal village situated on the southeastern coast of the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, Greece. History Historically, Kiotari was a fishing village with its economy centered on traditional coastal activities. In ...
, Greece on 23 July.
Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...
was on the 23rd, with the evacuation of tourists starting that day. Eight EU countries sent firemen to help Greece, while Israel, Jordan and Turkey sent mostly aerial equipment to the Greek fire brigade. Corfu is hit by forest and bush fires. Tourists are evacuated from Corfu in response on the 25th.
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
set its all-time high temperature record at in
Kuçovë Kuçovë ( sq-definite, Kuçova) is a municipality in south-central Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Kozare, Kuçovë, Lumas and Perondi, which all became municipal units. The ...
on 24 July. Wildfires hit Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece and southern Italy on the 26th and 27th. The 27th saw wild fires in and around Sicily, Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Gran Canaria, Lisbon and Cascais in Portugal.


August

Heavy rain causes mass flooding in
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
on the 6th and 7th, killing seven people and causing over $500 million worth of damage over 66% of the nation's area and is reported as the worst natural disaster to have hit the country in history. Over 600 firefighters from Greece and several other European countries, along with a fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters, fought major wildfires in Greece, 20 people have died in the fires by 27 August.


September

Heavy rainstorms hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria on 7 September, killing 11 leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in the affected region of Bulgaria. Heavy rains hit the
Pagasetic Gulf The Pagasetic Gulf () is a rounded gulf (max. depth 102 metres) in the Magnesia regional unit (east central Greece) that is formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula. It is connected with the Euboic Sea. The passage into the Euboic Sea is narrow an ...
and central Greece. Kala Nera village and the nearby port city of Volos were flooded by heavy rains on 7 September in which 2 people died. Larissa was evacuated due to heavy flooding, central Greece, on 7 September. The Greek Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection
Vassilis Kikilias Vasilis Kikilias (; born 15 May 1974) is a Greek politician, currently Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy in the second cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He is a member of the Hellenic Parliament for New Democracy in the Athens A ...
urged people to stay indoors on 7 September. Heavy floods along Bulgaria's
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
coast triggered a state of emergency in that region of Bulgaria on 7 September.


The Iberian Peninsula


April

Europe broke its temperature record for April when the air at Córdoba Airport reached . On 26 April, a
Sentinel-2 Sentinel-2 is an Earth observation mission from the Copernicus Programme that acquires optical imagery at high spatial resolution (10 m to 60 m) over land and coastal waters. The mission's Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites were joined in or ...
image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
showed that the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon went completely dry for the first time. A rapid attribution study by
World Weather Attribution World Weather Attribution is an academic collaboration studying extreme event attribution, calculations of the impact of climate change on extreme weather, extreme meteorological events such as heat waves, droughts, and storms. When an extreme eve ...
found that the heatwave would probably have been more than 2 °C cooler without climate change and that climate change made the heat wave 100 times more likely to occur.


July

Temerities for 19 July 2023 stood at. #Seville . #Madrid . #Catalonia- 45.3 C (113 F) (an all-time record). A forest fire hit
La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. La Pa ...
on 22 July that led to 500 people being evacuated. The 27th saw wild fires in and around Sicily, Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Gran Canaria, Lisbon and Cascais in Portugal.


August

Forest fires hit 19 villages in the
Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
, including
Odeceixe Odeceixe () is a village and freguesia, civil parish in the northern part of the concelho, municipality of Aljezur, in the Portugal, Portuguese Algarve, lying within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Nature Park of the Southw ...
and
Monchique Monchique () is a municipality of southern Portugal, in Faro District (province of Algarve). The population in 2011 was 6,045, in an area of 395.30 km2. The Municipality of Monchique is situated in the Serra de Monchique and together with th ...
, on the 8th. The highest recorded temperature of was reached in
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
on 11 August. Intense Heatwave conditions, the third such occurrence this summer, were expected to continue in the coming days and week over the Mediterranean region. Wild fires occur across Tenerife on 16 August. Major wildfires hit Tenarife on that day. Parts of the island of Mallorca was put under yellow and orange weather alerts. Palma police reported felled trees and weather induced damage to buildings in the city. As storms lashed Palma Port the P&O Cruises ship ''Britannia'' broke free of its mooring and collided with another ship. The wind had gusts of up to 100 km/h on 28 August.


September

Heavy rain hits Spain on 3 September and 4 September. Madrid's Mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, told people to stay indoors and said the 1972 rain fall record had been broken with a volume approaching 120 litres per square metre on 4 September. The Spanish National Weather Agency declared a nationwide red alert for flooding due to extreme rain fall. A man died during a flood in Villamanta as unusually high amounts of hail and rain hit regions of Castile, Catalonia and Valencia on 5 September.


UK and Ireland

June June 2023 was the warmest June on recorded for both Ireland and the UK, by average temperature.


July

July 2023 in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland record the wettest July ever with Lancashire's being the wettest on record with 247% of normal rainfall levels.


September

In Ireland, a rare
tropical night A tropical night is a term used in many European countries to describe days when the temperature does not fall below during the nighttime. This definition is in use in countries including the Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, G ...
was recorded in Valentia, Kerry on 5 September, with the overnight temperature not dropping below 22.3 °C (72.1 °F) at the weather station. A high temperature warning was also issued for parts of Ireland on 7 September, as some parts of the country were forecast to reach as high as 31 °C (88 °F). The
Port Clarence Port Clarence is a small village in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It is on the north bank of the River Tees, and near the northern end of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. History Formerly known as Samphire Batts, ...
and Stockton Village districts of Teesside were flooded on 5 September. Heavy fog and hit Langland Bay near Swansea and Barry Island Cardiff Bay on 10 September. Heavy rain induced floods hit Exeter in Devon on 24 September. The A83 was hit by seven landslides. The Met Office issued an amber flood warning that morning in Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland until 2:00pm the next day. The A83 between Tarbet and Lochgilphead was blocked by a major landslide. Heavy rain induced flooding hits several places in Wales on 22 September. Heavy rain induced flooding hits parts of Greater London on 26 September. Major rain induced flooding and landslides hit Scotland between 28 September and 10 October.


October

Over a month's worth of rain fell in 24 hours over Scotland on 7 October. Temperatures reached 23 °C (74 °F) during a warm spell across eastern Ireland on 8 October. Trains are canceled as emergency repairs occur on the line between Morpth and Newcastle on 9 October. The Whitesands flood protection scheme in
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
is given the go-ahead by Dumfries and Galloway Council on 6 October. Midday temperatures in Oxford and Banbury UK, hit on 9 October.


Rest of Europe


July

Northern Norway's Slettnes Lighthouse, reached on 13 July A major extended heatwave affecting most of Europe through mid-July was named "Cerberus" by the Italian Meteorological Society and brought record temperatures into the Arctic. On July 18, temperatures reached as high as: #Sardinia or . #Rome 42.9 C, or 109F (an all-time record). #Sicily- 46.3 C (115 F) (an all-time record). 19 July 2023 16 Italian cities were under red alerts for heat, including Rome, Florence and Bologna on 23 July. Officially, the air temperature reached on 24 July at Jerzu,
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
during the heatwave which if validated, would be the highest temperature recorded in Europe during the month of July 1 died and 15 were hurt as a storm hits La Chaux-de-Fonds in northwestern Switzerland on the 23rd. The 27th saw wild fires in and around Sicily, Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Gran Canaria, Lisbon and Cascais in Portugal.


August

In Ukraine, the temperature reached , around Zaporizhzhia and lake in Sloviansk on August 5. 30 cm of hail fell on the German city of
Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...
on August 5. Floods and landslides hit southern Norway on August 9. A poorly built dam on the Glåma River, at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant collapses. 3,500 were evacuated from forest fires in Argeles-sur-Mer, France on 16 August. Major wildfires hit Tenarife on that day. It reaches in the Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region of France on 17 August. The district office of
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...
in Bavaria, declared a state of disaster in the municipality of
Bad Bayersoien Bad Bayersoien () is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. In August 2023, it made international headlines when a hailstorm destroyed roof tiles, pierced roof-mounted solar panels and cars were dented from ...
, after 80% of its building were seriously damaged by 8 cm hailstones on 27 August. The temperature hit in and Menton Carcassonne, Toulouse and in the rest of France on 23 August. The Poppea cyclone struck the Ligurian Sea in Northern Italy causing landslides and floods have washed away roads overlooking Lake Como on 27 August. Flash floods hit Genoa on 28 August and Sondrio as flood alerts remained in place in Piedmont and Lombardy remained in place on that day. Over 100mm of rain fell in regions of Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg and Carinthia causing evacuations, rail routes and bridges were closed due to flash flooding in
Bad Gastein Bad Gastein ( is a spa town in the St. Johann im Pongau District. Picturesquely situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range, it is known for the Gastein waterfall and a variety of grand hotel buildings. Geography Bad Gastein i ...
, Salzburg on 29 August.


North America


May

Arviat Arviat (, Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly Inuit Hamlet (place)#Canada, hamlet located on the western shore of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada ...
,
Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...
recorded on 13 May. Monthly record highs were also set in several cities in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
during that time.


June

An intense heat wave impacted Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in early June, bringing record highs to San Juan and causing the heat index to reach in one town. In Mexico, Merida, Yucatan reached it highest recorded heat index of on June 11, surpassed the next day to reach ; the air temperature was nearly . The heat wave swept northern states, such as
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
where temperatures (before the heat index) were recorded as high as 49 °C (120 °F). Over 100 people died from heat stroke or dehydration.


July

In Canada on July 8
Norman Wells Norman Wells (Slavey language: ''Tłegǫ́hłı̨'' "where there is oil") is a town located in the Sahtu Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. The town, which hosts the Sahtu Regional office, is situated on the north side of the Mackenzie Riv ...
,
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...
, at 65°N, reached , the first temperature over 37.8 °C (100 °F) this far north. Massive wildfires, consuming more land area in Canada this year than ever recorded continued to rage in the area. Canada recorded 3 new temperature highs on 11 July: # in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories (NWT) # 37.9C (100.2F), in Norman Wells, Northwest Territories (NWT) # in Ottawa.
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
broke its record for the most consecutive days with the heat index exceeding over 100 °F (38 °C) ending on July 26 after 46 days.
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
recorded a daily record high of 128 °F (53.3 °C) on July 16 surpassing the previous marks of 127 °F in 1972 and 2005. In the United States, "an extreme heat wave" affected many states including
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
,
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, and California. Temperatures reached as high as 53 °C (128 °F) in
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
, while Phoenix reached 48 °C (119 °F) on a few days and broke the previous record of 18 consecutive days exceeding , for a total of 31 consecutive days (every day in July). Heat warnings were issued across many southern states as far east as Florida, where record high ocean temperatures were observed. The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) issued its first ever excessive heat advisory for Miami, Florida on July 17, 2023. Phoenix recorded its all-time high minimum temperature of 97 °F (36.1 °C) on July 19 surpassing the previous record of 96 °F on July 15, 2003. Phoenix also broke its record for most consecutive days with highs over 110 °F (43.3 °C) ending on July 30 after 31 days exceeding the previous streak of 18 days back in 1974 by a significant margin. On July 31 the Eagle Bluff Fire triggered the evacuation of Osoyoos,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. Both US and Canadian officials estimated that around 890 ha (2,200 acres) on the Canadian side of the border were on fire due to extended dryness and heat in June into July, due to seasonally high temperatures of 31–32 °C (88–90 °F) at the time of the fire. 2,000 acres (3.13 square miles) on the US side of the border burned. One firefighter died on the Canadian side. 1,500 blazes were burning in Washington State and British Columbia that day and 101 were out of control.


August

California's week old York Fire was the state's biggest that year by August 1, at over 125 square miles (323.7 square kilometers) and was 23% contained according to Californian fire officials. About 400 firefighters were fighting the blaze and had to balance their efforts with concerns about disrupting the fragile ecosystem in California's Mojave National Preserve. Wildfires burned down Kaanapali, north of the town of Lahaina, Hawaii on the 10th. 20,000 evacuated from Yellowknife 11 August and near Ndılǫ, Dettah and Ingraham Trail on 1 August. Enterprise was mostly destroyed and Hay River was endangered by the fires. A major heat wave affected the
Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
on August 23 and 24. Prior to the heat wave, 126 million Americans were under heat alerts. At
Chicago O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business district. The airport is operated by the ...
, temperatures hit on August 23, with a heat index reaching . On August 24, temperatures hit at O'Hare with a heat index of . The high on August 24 also became the latest in-season high of for Chicago, while the heat index was the hottest on record. In Rockford, the high reached , with a heat index of due to dew points of . In
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, the high on August 23 broke a daily record at , and the heat index of became the highest heat index in August. By August 24, Des Moines had recorded 6 consecutive days with heat indexes above . On August 27,
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
reached an all-time record high of . Maui County Emergency Management Agency announced the end of its bush fire evacuation order on 27 August.


September

A major heat wave took place in the northern portion of the United States, especially around
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
around the first few days of September 2023. Maximum temperatures were above throughout almost the entire state of Minnesota, with some areas of the state recording temperatures above . The
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
had its hottest Labor Day on record with a maximum temperature of . A monthly record was also set that day in
Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...
at . The next day, a monthly record was tied at
Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...
, with a high of , with daily records also being broken in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
;
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
;
Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city and the county seat of Alpena County, Michigan, United States. The population was 10,197 at the 2020 census, making it the third most populated city in the Northern Michigan region, after Traverse City and Cadillac ...
;
Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...
; and
Islip, New York Islip ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The population was 339,938 at th ...
. The next day,
Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
recorded their hottest September temperature ever, at . By September 7,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
had their first official heat wave all year. That day, sports in
Suffolk County, New York Suffolk County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...
, were postponed until at least 6 p.m. due to heat index values of . The heat index in
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, reached , with the air temperature of being a record for September 7. By September 8,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
's heat wave reached six days, with two records being set both on the high and low temperature during that six day timeframe. On that day, monthly record warm low temperatures were set at Islip and
Caribou, Maine Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 7,396 at the 2020 census. The city is a service center for the agricultural and tourism industries, and the location of a National Weather Servic ...
. The first 13 days of September were the warmest on record in Philadelphia. The 0% contained Oregon Road Fire and the 10% contained 2-day-old Grays Fire had killed 2 people so far and covered 10,000 acres of woodland. Mass evacuations occurred in case wildfires engulfed the threatened towns of Medical Lake and Four Lakes. Spokane County Emergency Management said the Grays Fire had stopped growing towards Medical Lake and Four Lakes on 3 September. Yellowknife and West Kelowna were threatened by major forest fires on 18 September and Yellowknife was evacuated One person had died and at least 185 buildings were destroyed after a 0% contained 15-square-mile wind-driven wildfire spread out west side of Medical Lake, west of Spokane on 18 September and 19 September. Canada recorded its most severe wildfire season to date, with a total of just over 1,000 active fires on 18 September; 236 were in the usually colder Northwest Territories, which had so far consumed over 2,000,000 hectares of land and the evacuation of over half of the territory's population. Major forest fires begin to approach Yellowknife. West Kelowna's firefighters were losing the battle with the 10,500 hectares 0% contained McDougall Creek wildfire, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of residents in West Kelowna and north of nearby Kelowna. The premier of British Columbia declared a state of emergency and further evacuations from the cities to the east of Vancouver.


October

A late season heat wave took place in a large part of the United States, starting on September 30 and continuing into October 3, especially in the northern states such as Minnesota. At least 15 US states had recorded temperatures of and above, with some areas experiencing temperatures above as far north as
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
. This heat wave was notable for record high minimum temperature, with
International Falls International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy R ...
reaching its record high minimum temperature for October on October 2 with a temperature of . The heat wave resulted in a cancellation of the
Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon is a marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through down ...
for the first time in its history since it began in 1982. The lakes were warm enough to go swimming in many parts of Minnesota. Temperatures in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
reached , the warmest ever for October. The heat spread east on October 3, and in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
set monthly record on October 3, at . On October 4, monthly record high temperatures were reached with temperatures of in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...
, and in
Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...
, In
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, the temperature reached with a humidex of 33, considered "exceptional" for that time of year. Montreal also recorded a record high on October 5, before the heat wave broke.


Central America


July

The Panamanian Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology issues public health advice as it reports temperatures of in Panama City, with abnormal high heat in Chiriqui, Veraguas, Los Santos, Herrera, Cocle, West Panama, Colon, Darien, Guna Yala and Embera Wounan regions on July 29.


South America


August

On August 2, 2023, a heat wave hit South America, leading to temperatures in many areas above in midwinter with some locations setting all-time heat records. 12 August saw Rio de Janeiro break a 117-year heat record. Chile saw highs towards 40C and Bolivia saw temperatures rise badly Asunción saw .


November

On November 8, 2023, Brazil was hit by another heat wave. Rio de Janeiro had the warmest day of the year, with temperatures reaching 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) on November 12. The city also had a real-feel temperature of 58.5 °C (137.3 °F) on November 14, the highest since 2014.


Australia


February

The
Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...
forecast heatwaves occurring around Australia over the next few days and had already put high-temperature warnings in place in all of Australia's states except for the
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
,
Jervis Bay Territory The Jervis Bay Territory (; "JBT") is an internal states and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. It was established in 1915 by the transfer of jurisdiction from the state of New South Wales to the federal Commonwealth of Australia ...
and the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
on 15 February.


Russian Federation


April

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov, traveled to the fire that hit
Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. According to the 2021 Census, the population was 776,661, down from 910,807 recorded in the 2010 Census. History Formed by De ...
on 26 April. The
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said on 26 April that fires started in May continued to burn from Russia's Chelyabinsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk Oblasts, Primorye Krai, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.


May

80 fires were active over an area of 113,500 hectares (280,000 acres) in the regions of the
Ural Federal District Ural Federal District ( rus, Уральский федеральный округ, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪj fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnɨj ˈokrʊk) is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its population was 12,080,523 (79.9% urban) according to the ...
on 8 May.


June

37.9 degrees Celsius (100.2 Fahrenheit) was recorded in Jalturovosk on 3 June. 8 June data was recorded at # Zdvinsk # Tomsk tie # Verkhoyansk # Kupino # Kolyvan # Ermakovskoe # Tastyp It was revealed on 8 June that the wildfires in Russia's
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
during May had killed at least 21 people.


July

On 11 July 2023 in
Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...
(56° north latitude) in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
for the first time in the history of meteorological observations (more than 187 years), a temperature of + was recorded and
Verkhoyansk Verkhoyansk ( rus, Верхоянск, p=vʲɪrxɐˈjansk; ) is a town in Verkhoyansky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the Yana River in the Arctic Circle, from Batagay, the administrative center of the district, and nor ...
, in Russia's
Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...
, recorded a temperature of on 11 July.


August

3 August saw predictions of heatwave on 5 August in the Krasnodar Krai. A large fire occurred on 29 August in the Gelendzhik in
Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...
area and had an area of fifty thousand square meters according to the
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n
Ministry of Emergency Management The Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) is 24th-ranked Ministries of the People's Republic of China, executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the country's emergency management, work safety, ...
. The strong winds fanned the flames that day. 195 people, 45 firefighting units, a Mi-8 helicopter helped fight the fire, but the helicopter is grounded at night. The local administration of
Gelendzhik Gelendzhik (; Adyghe: Хъулъыжъий, Ḣułəžij) is a resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Gelendzhik Bay of the Black Sea, between Novorossiysk ( to the northwest) and Tuapse ( to the southeast). Greater Gelendzhik sp ...
called on the local residents to help in fight the fire.


Political, charity, NGO, UN, scientific and corporate responses

China's top diplomat
Wang Yi Wang Yi ( zh, s=王毅, p=Wáng Yì; born 19 October 1953) is a Chinese diplomat and politician who has been serving as Director of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office since January 2023, and ...
and American diplomat
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
called for "global leadership" on climate issues. Some meteorological scientists officially blamed climate change for the event. A marine heat wave roughly 60 miles off California's coast was accused by meteorologists of helping fuel
Hurricane Hilary Hurricane Hilary was a large and powerful Pacific hurricane in August 2023 that brought torrential rainfall and gusty winds to the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the Baja California Peninsula, and the Southwestern United States, resulting in wid ...
. On August 2,
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
, General Secretary of the Central Committee and the
president of the People's Republic of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...
, urged local officials to make every effort to find the 29 individuals who are missing and the may people who were trapped rising flood waters. In the end of July, Joe Biden announced some measures to protect Americans from the heat waves. Those include a safety rules for workers who work outdoors with the mechanism of enforcement, ensuring access to water to communities in danger, improving weather forecasts. The money is partly coming from the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL),H.R. 3684 is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov ...
and
Inflation Reduction Act The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a United States federal law which aims to reduce the federal government budget deficit, lower prescription drug prices, and invest in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy. It was ...
. Biden also met the mayors of
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
and
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
to understand better the needs of the cities who were severely impacted by the heatwave. Even before the heatwave some measures already have been taken:
cooling center A cooling center is an air conditioning, air-conditioned public or private space to temporarily deal with the adverse health effects of extreme heat weather conditions, like the ones caused by heat waves. Cooling centers are one of the possible mi ...
s and more efficient buildings.


Antarctica

The temperatures in an area of east Antarctica, known as "Dome C" was above normal temperatures on 27 September, unlike March 18, 2022, when it reached at , above normal seasonal heat levels.


See also

* Weather of 2023 * 2023 Slovenia floods *
2023 Emilia-Romagna floods A series of floods were in and around the cities of Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Faenza, Ravenna, and Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The first floods occurred between 2 and 3 May 2023, killing two people. More severe floods took p ...
*
2023 Asia heat wave Starting in April 2023, a record-breaking heat wave has affected many Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Several regional temperature records have been set. ...
* 2023 European heat waves * 2023 Western North America heat wave


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heat waves, 2023 2023-related lists Weather-related lists