Latest news with #HeatDome
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Anyone going to Greece given two day 'heat dome' alert
Fears of exceptional heat as Foreign Office updates advice amid wildfire concerns for British tourists The South of Europe is bracing for a Heat Dome, which is predicted to extend its reach to Greece, bringing with it heatwave conditions from Sunday, July 6, 2025. Early reports suggest that this heatwave will be relatively short-lived, but temperatures are expected to soar to a sweltering 42 or even 43 degrees Celsius next week. Wednesday, July 9, is set to be the toughest day, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. In some areas, such as Halkida in Evia, the mercury will hit 42 degrees Celsius. Following a brief respite with cooler than average temperatures, the heat is set to return with a vengeance, as a five-day heatwave is forecasted, with high temperatures lingering for several days. However, relief is in sight, with a significant drop in temperatures expected from Thursday, July 10. Open TV's meteorologist Klearhos Marousakis predicts a sharp rise in temperature from Monday to Thursday, July 7-11, due to a westerly current entering Greece, acting as a windbreak for the eastern mainland. He forecasts peak temperatures of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius around Tuesday and Wednesday next week. From Saturday, July 5, temperatures will gradually begin to climb as the meltemi (summer northern winds) depart the area and the pressure difference decreases. The very dry wind levels are expected to persist until Friday, July 5. READ MORE: Spanish 'Maldives' with crystal clear water you can fly to for £15 The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice - with concerns rising about an outbreak of wildfires in the dry country. It said: "There is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October. Ensure that your mobile phone is registered to receive emergency alerts to be warned of wildfires near your location. "Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The situation can change quickly." To avoid starting wildfires: leave no litter, especially not glass which is known to start fires make sure cigarettes are properly extinguished do not light barbecues Causing a wildfire or a forest fire is a criminal offence in Greece – even if unintentional. If you see a fire, call the emergency services on 112. Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires: follow @112Greece for official updates follow the guidance of the emergency services call the Greek emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger contact your airline or travel operator who can assist you with return travel to the UK Meanwhile, Europe experienced its first major heatwave of the summer this week, with Barcelona recording its hottest June in over a century and Paris reaching scorching temperatures. The iconic Eiffel Tower was shut to visitors due to the heatwave. Health warnings were issued in several countries as the extreme heat persisted. Samantha Burgess, from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, stated that the unusually hot weather "is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress", with temperatures more akin to those usually seen in July and August. Barcelona's Fabra Observatory reported a record-breaking average temperature of 26C for last month, the highest since records began in 1914. The Observatory also noted a single-day high of 37.9C for June recorded on Monday. Barcelona typically avoids Spain's most intense heat due to its location between hills and the Mediterranean Sea. Ramon Pascual, a representative for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told the Associated Press that the "very intense heatwave" is undeniably linked to global warming. Mr Pascual pointed out that the rising sea temperatures are not helping those living in the Mediterranean region, as they significantly reduce any cooling effects from nearby bodies of water. Spain's weather service reported that recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are 5-6C above average. Spain's national average for June was 23.6C, which is 0.8C hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017. Madrid was expected to hit a sweltering 39C. In Paris, temperatures were predicted to reach a staggering 40C. The national weather agency, Meteo-France, placed several departments under the highest red alert. Over 1,300 schools were either partially or fully closed due to the heat. Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were left disappointed as the landmark closed due to the extreme heat. Visitors were advised to delay their plans as the summit was temporarily shut down until Thursday for "everyone's comfort and safety". Climate specialists are sounding the alarm, predicting that future summers could outdo all previous records, with scorching highs over 40C becoming an annual occurrence by the century's end. Italy's health ministry has reported a heatwave gripping 17 out of its 27 key cities. Florence felt the brunt of the heat on Tuesday, with mercury hitting 38C, leading to a city centre blackout due to a surge in power usage. Energy giant Enel confirmed that power was swiftly restored thanks to emergency systems. Tragedy struck near Bologna where a 46 year old construction firm boss succumbed while working on a school car park, with state broadcaster RAI attributing his collapse to the intense heat, pending autopsy results. In Soest, Netherlands, local fire services announced they'd be joining a water gun battle with a real fire hose, teasing on social media: "Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you're guaranteed to get soaked!". Portugal's meteorological authority confirmed a record-breaking high for June in mainland Portugal, with Mora, west of Lisbon, scalding at 46.6C on June 29. Meanwhile, Turkey's firefighters are battling blazes for the third day running, leading to the evacuation of around 50,000 people.
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Extreme weather shows Chicago White Sox need a retractable roof on their next ballpark
From last winter's polar vortex to this week's heat wave, Chicagoans have experienced several degrees of uncomfortableness in a few short months. We weather the extreme weather well enough, thanks to a lot of practice, and tend to think of ourselves as a hardy bunch that shrugs off the bitter cold or sweltering heat because we're Chicagoans. It's a small price to pay for living in the world's greatest city, so we persevere and wear our rugged exteriors on our sleeves like a badge of honor. But this latest experience under the Heat Dome had me wondering whether it's time to accept that, down deep, we're really weather wimps. We don't want to leave the house when the wind chill is below zero or the heat index is over 90. We love our central heating and air conditioning, despite our gritty reputation. There's nothing wrong with admitting you prefer comfort over extreme cold or heat, even as we've been typecast as a city that loves our 'Bears Weather,' a holdover from a few cold-weather wins during the Super Bowl season 40 years ago. This year has seen a cold spring turn into a hot summer almost overnight. Wrigley Field was a sweat box over the weekend, with an umpire and a Seattle Mariners pitcher leaving Saturday's game because of the heat. It was less worrisome Monday at Rate Field, where the White Sox took on the Arizona Diamondbacks with the sun down, but I still felt for Sox players taking infield practice, remembering former first baseman John Kruk's clubhouse rant in 1995 when manager Terry Bevington ordered pregame infield practice during a similar heat wave. The only way for fans to escape Monday was to hit the showers, and a long line of kids waited to jump into the left-field shower during the game, gleefully soaking themselves while the Sox got pummeled 10-0. Climate change has brought more tropical weather than ever to Midwestern cities, and despite what the stable genius and his administration want to believe, it's not going to reverse course anytime soon. That's why it's imperative for future White Sox owner Justin Ishbia to rip up the current renderings of the proposed ballpark in the South Loop and commission an architect to draw up a new one with a retractable roof. When Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf outlined his long-term succession plan last month, he in effect handed the stadium issue to Ishbia, who figures to own the controlling stake in the team by 2030 or so — just in time for a new ballpark to open, assuming he's open to paying for most or all of it with his $4.3 billion. Reinsdorf's search for public funding for a new park is toast, so if Ishbia doesn't do it, the Sox will either have to readjust their lease at Rate Field or move. Sox fans deserve better, but they seldom get what they want. The Sox last year gave us a look at how a new ballpark would look at The 78, and the renderings received rave reviews. Everything looked cool. But the idea of making the public build the Sox yet another ballpark — after they messed up with an antiseptic stadium with a steep upper deck that is now closed off during most weekday games — was a deal breaker. If the Sox are realistic, they would admit most of their fans go to games only when the team is winning, and even then they usually wait until the weather is tolerable. A retractable roof, like the ones built by the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, would fix one of those problems. A new owner in Ishbia might fix both. Would Sox fans accept a retractable dome? A former player told me once they got used to it, they'd love it. 'Every new ballpark constructed should have a (retractable) roof,' he said. 'Not just because it's too hot but for concerts and events in the winter to make it pay off.' Before Monday's game, I asked rookie pitcher Grant Taylor, who played in the jungle-like humidity at LSU, what he thought of the Sox moving into a retractable-dome ballpark down the line. Taylor had just experienced two such parks in Houston and Toronto. 'I thought that was cool in Toronto,' he said of the Rogers Centre. 'I liked it better with the roof open, but yeah. When we were in Houston it was raining one of those days, and it was so nice to put the dome over (the field) and still play baseball. 'That's huge. You look at the St. Louis series (in Chicago) when we had to cancel a game and then have to use all of our relief arms in a doubleheader the next day. I think it would be pretty sweet. I prefer a stadium that's open on a good day, but if it's raining or 100 degrees outside, it's nice to have a dome.' The Cubs will have to live with future heat issues at Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark behind Fenway Park. The Rickettses have invested heavily in renovations, but a roof is not part of their long-term vision. But it's not too late for the Sox to understand this concept of climate change and its effect on games. The Rangers owners came to the conclusion that a roof was necessary in their oppressive heat and left a perfectly suitable ballpark that opened in 1994 — three years after the Sox moved into new Comiskey Park — to enjoy the air-conditioned comforts of Globe Life Field. As we sweat away the summer, imagine walking out of 98-degree heat and into a 72-degree, climate-controlled ballpark to watch the Sox play. It's not as crazy as you'd think. Now they just have to figure out the winning part.
CBS News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
1st day of summer in NYC brings scorching temperatures. Here's what to expect this season.
Today marks the first full day of summer 2025 in New York City after the summer solstice occurred at 10:41 p.m. Friday. The hottest weather of the year is still to come, and we have a look at what to expect this season. "Heat Dome" could bring highs of 100 CBS News New York It's been a very slow start to the warm season across the northeastern United States, and Central Park has failed to hit 90 degrees so far. On average, the first 90-degree day in the park is May 28th. The first 90-degree day of the year is forecasted to occur on June 19th. However, even hotter days lie ahead. CBS News New York According to various forecast models, a formidable "Heat Dome" is expected to develop over the Eastern Seaboard this weekend, and NYC may hit the century mark on June 24. 100-degree days in NYC are actually quite rare, having only been recorded 60 times over 155 years of record keeping. If the city does, in fact, hit 100 degrees, it would be the first time since July 18, 2012. Hot and humid summer ahead As for the rest of the summer, all forecasts are calling for above average warmth nationwide. In our neck of the woods, that means there may be numerous days that exceed 85 degrees, which is the highest daily average high temperature throughout the summer. 85 degrees is the average high temperature from July 6 through August 5, making that the hottest period of the year, which also falls within what are referred to as the "Dog Days Of Summer." CBS News New York Along with above average temperatures, above average humidity is likely for this upcoming summer as well. This can be attributed to above average rainfall that fell across the Midwest and South this spring. The above average rainfall has left soils in those regions saturated, and that leads to higher rates of evapotranspiration - how water is transferred from the surface to the air - from surrounding vegetation, which in turn, leads to higher humidity levels. Since the Midwest and South are typical source regions of heat waves in the Tri-State Region, air flowing over them can pick up the excess levels of humidity and transfer them here. A well-known source region of high humidity, and usually the most prolific one in this part of the world, the Gulf, has water temperatures that are currently running above average. When air flows over that warm body of water and moves northward, oppressive levels of humidity, also known as "air, you can wear," can be anticipated. That scenario will only get enhanced this summer when the moist Gulf air moves over already moisture laden soils. With that said, air conditioners are likely to be heavily used in the coming months.
Global News
05-06-2025
- Climate
- Global News
First blast of summer heat headed for southern B.C.
Southern British Columbia is bracing for its first serious bout of hot weather of the season. Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for most of southern B.C., stretching from southern and eastern Vancouver Island through to Revelstoke, the Okanagan Valley and Grand Forks. 'A ridge of high pressure is bringing high temperatures to the region. Daytime highs are expected to be in the high 20s to low 30s with overnight lows in the low- to mid-teens,' on the South Coast, the weather and climate agency warned. 4:16 Children's summer safety The high temperatures are forecast to persist into next week, with the latest forecasts showing the heat peaking on Sunday and Monday. Story continues below advertisement 'This will be the first prolonged heat event of the year,' Global BC senior meteorologist Kristi Gordon said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Temperatures will be five to 10 degrees above average across the South Coast for six days, through Tuesday. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, many areas away from the water in Metro Vancouver and through the Fraser Valley will be approaching 30 C.' Gordon said the Southern Interior will also see hot weather through next Wednesday, with daytime highs int eh 29 C to 35 C range. That's about seven to 12 degrees above the seasonal average. While the temperatures won't come close to the deadly peaks British Columbia has seen in serious heat events like the 2021 Heat Dome, Environment Canada said they can still be dangerous. 'Early season heat can be significant due to the lack of acclimatization to elevated temperatures,' the agency warned. 'Keep your house cool. Block the sun by closing curtains or blinds. Watch for the effects of heat illness: heavy sweating, rash, cramps, fainting, high body temperature and the worsening of some health conditions.' Gordon said the coming hot weather isn't expected to be extremely dangerous, but it is a good time to begin thinking about ways to prepare for more extreme heat that's expected later in the summer. Story continues below advertisement You can find out more about heat-related illnesses and risks to vulnerable groups here.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Big Oil Gets Slapped With Its First Wrongful Death Lawsuit
On August 27, 2019, ExxonMobil posted a video on Facebook titled 'Efficient Driving Tips.' The caption read, 'It's tempting to crank the AC and windows while driving in warm weather, but here's how you can stay cool while enhancing your fuel economy.' To upbeat music, the video advised viewers, 'While driving around town, roll down the windows and skip the AC.' Less than two years later, on June 28, 2021, Juliana Leon—a poet and mother, known by her friends and family as Julie—was doing just that. Julie was driving home from a doctor's appointment in Seattle, during the Pacific Northwest Heat Dome, the worst heat wave the area had experienced in recorded history. Her car's air conditioning wasn't working—not usually a cause for concern in temperate Seattle—so she rolled down her windows as the thermometer climbed to 102 degrees. Even with her windows down, the heat was too much for Julie's body to take. As heat stroke began to close in on her, Julie pulled off the highway and parked on a nearby residential street, choosing to make sure she would not cause harm to anyone else with what turned out to be her final act. Two hours later, a passerby found Julie unconscious in her car. First responders administered CPR and attempted other lifesaving measures, but they could not revive her. Her official cause of death was recorded as hyperthermia—overheating of the body. Julie was not alone in succumbing to this lethal heat. Over 1,400 people in the Pacific Northwest were killed by the Heat Dome event. But Julie's story became unique in at least one way last week, when her daughter filed the first ever U.S. lawsuit directly taking on the fossil fuel industry for causing a climate-related death. The wrongful death suit, Leon v. ExxonMobil et al., was filed in Washington state court by Misti Leon, Julie's daughter. It alleges that Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP have known—since before her mother was born—that the conspiracy of climate deception they executed to protect their fossil fuel–based profits would cause deaths like Julie's. The suit further seeks to hold these corporations accountable for the devastating tragedy their conduct imposed on the Leon family. The argument put forward in Leon v. ExxonMobil is relatively straightforward: Julie's death was caused by unnaturally extreme heat; this heat was the result of climate change caused by Big Oil's fossil fuel products; these companies knew that their products would cause disasters like the Heat Dome and deaths like Julie's, but rather than warning the public about this lethal danger, Big Oil launched a campaign of deception to defraud the public about climate risks and block solutions that could have prevented Julie's death. There is strong evidence to support each of these claims. First, multiple extreme weather attribution studies have determined that the occurrence of the Heat Dome event would have been 'virtually impossible' but for human-caused climate change. The lead author of one of these attribution studies, Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the University of Oxford, put it as plainly as possible: 'Without climate change this event would not have happened.' Second, there is a large body of documentation demonstrating that Big Oil companies have long understood with shocking accuracy that their fossil fuel products would cause, in their own words, 'catastrophic' climate harms that would do 'great irreversible harm to our planet,' 'have serious consequences for man's comfort and survival,' create 'more violent weather,' and cause 'suffering and death due to thermal extremes.' Third, there are piles of internal strategy memos and external materials outlining the massive disinformation campaign these companies executed to prevent regulators, investors, consumers, and ordinary citizens like Julie from understanding the risks their products were creating. Documented tactics include publishing deceptive advertisements; directing bought-and-paid-for scientists to fraudulently undermine the clear scientific consensus on climate; harassing and attempting to discredit scientists and activists engaged in researching and communicating the actual climate science; deceptively attacking renewable energy efforts and policies; and 'greenwashing' to falsely promote Big Oil products and brands as climate solutions. There is also substantial evidence of the impact this conspiracy has had in delaying climate mitigation and adaptation measures that could have prevented Julie's death. For example, a recent Pew Research survey found that only 27 percent of Americans believed that almost all scientists agreed that climate change is caused by human activity. Compare this to the most recent analysis of the peer-reviewed scientific literature on climate change, which found that there is a greater than 99 percent consensus among scientists on this point—out of the 88,125 papers surveyed, just 28 were skeptical, mostly authored by the same few, discredited, industry-funded individuals. In the words of former Senator Chuck Hagel, who co-sponsored the resolution that prohibited the U.S. from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, 'I was misled. Others were misled. When [fossil fuel companies] had evidence in their own institutions that countered what they were saying publicly—I mean, they lied.… It would have changed everything [had they told the truth]. I think it would have changed the average citizen's appreciation of climate change.… And mine, of course. It would have put the United States and the world on a whole different track, and today we would have been so much further ahead than we are. It's cost this country, and it cost the world.' For Julie Leon, and her daughter Misti, this cost could not have been higher. They both deserve justice. And it's clear Big Oil doesn't have a great answer yet for why that justice should be denied to them. Nearly all the fossil fuel defendants named in the suit have declined to comment on it. The only response thus far has come from Chevron's lead counsel, Gibson Dunn partner Ted Boutrous, who said, 'Exploiting a personal tragedy to promote politicized climate tort litigation is contrary to law, science, and common sense.' Maybe it's possible to portray a bereaved daughter pursuing justice for the killing of her mother as exploiting her own personal tragedy—but that seems a challenging argument to defend. Likely contributing to Big Oil's nervousness here is the reality that Julie and Misti are far from the only ones to experience this kind of personal tragedy. While Leon v. ExxonMobil is an attempt to win justice for one climate victim and her family, the case is noteworthy in part because it could provide a compelling new model for thousands of survivors across the country who have lost loved ones to climate disasters in recent years, and millions of Americans who will, unfortunately, face similar tragedies in the years to come. Perhaps just as significantly, this lawsuit could also lay the groundwork for another approach to public accountability for the fossil fuel actors responsible for lethal climate disasters: criminal homicide prosecutions. The purpose of wrongful death suits like Misti Leon's is to provide private remedies to individuals who have been wrongfully bereaved. The purpose of criminal law enforcement is to deter future crimes, protect the public, punish wrongdoers, and encourage the convicted to pursue less harmful practices. All of these public safety goals apply to Big Oil's ongoing contributions to climate change. The legal argument required to win a wrongful death suit is also essentially the same as that required to win a negligent homicide prosecution; the primary difference is a higher burden of proof on the criminal side. That is a significant hurdle—but one it may be possible to clear in the context of Big Oil and climate-related deaths. Prosecutors across the country would be well served to take note of Leon v. ExxonMobil and carefully consider how the climate harms their constituents are experiencing fit the criminal laws they are charged with enforcing. The lawsuit filed last week marks a significant step for the movement seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role in knowingly condemning us to a future of climate catastrophe. Though Big Oil companies will fight this litigation with everything they've got, there's only so much that money and corporate spin doctors and BigLaw mercenaries can do to distract from what is, at its core, a very simple message: Climate victims like Julie Leon matter. They deserve justice. And the fossil fuel corporations behind their deaths should pay for their lethal misconduct.
