Again and again, the numbers inform the identical story: 2024 was Earth’s hottest 12 months on document, knocking the earlier document holder — 2023 — out of the highest spot (SN: 12/6/23). However temperatures alone can’t describe the human value: humidity that challenges the physique’s potential to chill itself; nighttime temps that rob individuals of sleep; energy outages; wildfire smoke; ruined crops; rising circumstances of mosquito-borne illness (SN: 9/20/24).
In the meantime, record-breaking water temperatures within the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico fueled hurricanes Helene and Milton (SN: 10/9/24). Helene’s torrential rains induced flooding throughout six states within the U.S. Southeast, killing over 200 individuals (SN: 10/1/24).
Different components of the world have their very own tales to inform in regards to the impression of 2024’s excessive warmth. Listed below are a few of these accounts.
Phoenix | Could–September
Arizona’s capital skilled 113 straight days of daytime temperatures topping 100° Fahrenheit, with tons of of heat-related deaths recorded. Phoenix has one of many world’s largest city heat-island magnitudes: Metropolis temperatures are about 12 levels increased than these in surrounding rural areas.
Mexico Metropolis | Could–June
An excessive warmth wave, on prime of an prolonged drought, induced blackouts and was linked to over 120 deaths. The ensuing water shortage raised fears that North America’s largest metropolis was simply weeks from Day Zero — a theoretical day when the area would run out of water.
São Paulo | August–September
Excessive warmth within the Southern Hemisphere’s winter plus extended drought fueled wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. High-quality particles in São Paulo’s air had been 14 instances the World Well being Group’s really helpful restrict, inflicting the town to be ranked because the world’s most polluted for 4 consecutive days, from September 9 to September 12.
Rio de Janeiro | March
Throughout a warmth wave in Brazil, the utmost measured temperature reached 107.6° F. But it surely felt even hotter. The warmth index — a measurement that additionally contains humidity — soared to a document 144.1° F, testing the bounds of people’ warmth tolerance.
Manila | April
The Philippines’ megalopolis of over 14 million individuals sweltered via a lethal 15-day warmth wave, an occasion that will have been unattainable with out local weather change. The warmth introduced water shortages, crop losses and college closures.
Paris | July–August
Temperatures throughout the Olympics might not have damaged data, however they had been nonetheless scorching. With out local weather change, Paris would have been about 5 levels cooler, researchers decided. That made the Video games extra harmful for athletes. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating at a charge twice the worldwide common.
Longyearbyen | July–August
August temps on the planet’s northernmost settlement, on Norway’s Spitsbergen Island, had been the best ever recorded for that month, hovering to 68° F — greater than 3 levels increased than the earlier document, set in 1997. In July, ice caps there broke the all-time document for each day melting, shedding ice at a charge 5 instances the norm.
Bamako | February–April
Warmth waves throughout West Africa’s Sahel area induced energy cuts and spikes in hospital admissions. From April 1 to April 4, a hospital in Mali’s capital recorded a complete of 102 deaths; the earlier 12 months, the hospital famous 130 deaths for all of April. Local weather change amped up daytime highs by 2.7 levels and stored nights 3.6 levels hotter than typical.
Gaza | April
A 3-day warmth wave exacerbated the humanitarian disaster in Palestine. Almost 2 million displaced individuals in refugee camps and overcrowded shelters lacked safety from the warmth and confronted water and meals shortages, energy outages, restricted entry to well being care and spikes in waterborne illnesses.
Delhi | Could–June
India’s capital territory endured 40 straight days of daytime highs reaching 104° F, with a brand new document set on Could 28 of 121.8° F. The unrelenting warmth killed over 100 individuals, the nonprofit group HeatWatch India estimates.
East Antarctica | July
At winter’s peak, temperatures throughout an enormous chunk of the continent hovered at –4° F, about 50 levels increased than regular. The occasion was the biggest temperature anomaly anyplace this 12 months.
