2023 Heat Waves

A number of heat waves began across parts of the northern hemisphere in April 2023, many of which are ongoing. 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. Another cause is the El Niño phenomena which began to develop in 2023. However, recent findings show that climate change is exacerbating the strength of El Niño.

The heatwaves caused severe damage in areas such as the western United States, southern Europe, and parts of Asia. The abnormal temperatures have led to a "very extreme" likelihood of wildfires, according to the Fire Weather Index.

The heatwaves were also occurring alongside some unusually heavy flooding.

In response to the heatwave some leaders called for greater action to stop climate change. President of the United States Joe Biden has taken 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. 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 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" creating both stronger El Niño and La Niña events.

Climate change may also cause changes in the jet streams that probably contributed to the heat waves. Warming in certain Arctic regions makes the jet stream weaker and wavier, causing different weather patterns 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 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 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 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 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, Tunisia, on 14 July.

Data recorded on 18 July showed temperatures of in Tozeur, Tunisia, in Chlef, Algeria (with many other places exceeding ), and in Kharga, Egypt. There had been a week of power cuts and temperatures in Cairo by 19 July.

The heat wave became even more intense in the following days. Data recorded on 23 July showed temperatures of in Algiers, Algeria, the highest recorded temperature in the city, as well as temperatures in Kairouan, Tunisia. On 24 July, Tunis, Tunisia reached a temperature of . On 24 July, Ghar el-Melh 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, Libya.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Data recorded on 18 July showed temperatures of in the Faya station, Chad and temperatures in Bilma, 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 and in the Jordan Valley. Along with high winds, the heat wave caused hundreds of bushfires. 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 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.

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'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 and Islamabad, 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 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, Hachioji in western Tokyo, Hirono town in Fukushima 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 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 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 and Kiotari, Greece on 23 July. Rhodes 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 set its all-time high temperature record at in Kuçovë 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 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 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 urged people to stay indoors on 7 September.

Heavy floods along Bulgaria's Black Sea 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 image showed that the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon went completely dry for the first time. A rapid attribution study by World Weather Attribution 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 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, including Odeceixe and Monchique, on the 8th.

The highest recorded temperature of was reached in Valencia 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.

British Isles

May

Midday temperatures in Bicester and Banbury UK, hit , with a regional average of to on 21 May.

July

11 flood alerts were issued by UK officials as torrential rain hit Lancashire on July 22. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for the whole county on 23rd.

Flood warnings re issued on 23rd and 24th for 12 local areas in Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire as well as isolated alerts in Leicestershire and Middlesbrough. Blackpool and Thornton are partly flooded.

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

August

Eastern parts of Cleveland, Yorkshire were flooded August 4, 5 and 6, especially in Teesside's Loftus and Skinningrove, and the town of Reddcar.

Midday temperatures in Birmingham UK, hit , with a regional average of to on 25 August.

September

The Port Clarence and Stockton Village districts of Teesside are flooded on 5 September.

Midday temperatures in Birmingham and Banbury UK, hit on 7 September and 9 September.

Heavy fog and hit Langland Bay near Swansea and Barry Island Cardiff Bay on 10 September.

The Met Office declare a flood alert in Devon and Cornwall on 17 September. Heavy rain induced floods and storm induced power-cuts hit parts of Exeter, Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Chudleigh, Totnes, Torquay, Widdicombe, Kingsbridge, Bigbury, Bantham, Plymouth, Tiverton, Crediton and Brixington the south coast of Devon, UK, on 20 September. The online traffic service Inrix also reported flooding at Teignmouth, Dawlish and Exeter. The Penn Inn flyover at Newton Abbot was flooded with a large puddle according to the local police and fire brigade. A major thunder storm hit Torquay and record rainfall hits the West Country.

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.

Trains are canceled as emergency repairs occur on the line between Morpth and Newcastle on 9 October.

The Whitesands flood protection scheme in Dumfries 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 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 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 in Bavaria, declared a state of disaster in the municipality of Bad Bayersoien, 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, Salzburg on 29 August.

North America

May

Arviat, Nunavut recorded on 13 May.

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 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, Northwest Territories, 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 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 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, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Temperatures reached as high as 53 °C (128 °F) in Death Valley, 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. 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 are 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.

Wild fires burn 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 on August 23 and 24. Prior to the heat wave, 126 million Americans were under heat alerts. At Chicago O'Hare International Airport, 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, 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 . By August 27, New Orleans