As if we didn't have enough to worry about - with spiking gas prices from Trump's ill-conceived war on Iran - we are now facing a natural disaster. At least here in the West. A record-breaking heat dome will develop near the West Coast late this week, smashing records and sending temperatures into the triple digits through next week. The 'marine heat wave' spawning it will make it feel like summer during the final days of winter. Or so we've been informed by the Washington Post. I have no reason to dispute it as I've seen the drought and warming trend over the past few weeks here in Colorado.
But how bad will this one get? Bad, according the Post:
"It could reach 100 degrees in Los Angeles next week, after record-breaking 95-degree heat on Thursday and Friday. In Phoenix next week, temperatures could exceed 100 degrees several times. It could also reach the century mark in Las Vegas."
The image below- snipped from a video portrayal - graphically shows the extent of the coming misery, especially given a majority of Coloradans don't have a/c and many others can't afford the costs of cooling:
And this will have been spawned by what's called a "Marine heat wave" - see top image. We are informed:
"Sea surface temperatures off the coast of Southern California have risen as much as five degrees above average for the time of year, causing a strong, Category 2 marine heat wave to develop. These unusually warm waters will provide a boost to air temperatures near the coast, especially at night, preventing them from dropping off as much as they otherwise would.
The heat dome will bring light winds, plentiful sunshine and unseasonably high temperatures, which will prevent cooler, deeper waters from churning up. The sea surface will warm, further intensifying the marine heat wave. This can contribute to a feedback loop, by which extra warmth in the sea adds to warmth on land and vice versa."
This will be a nightmare for those in the already parched West as it will remove even more badly needed snowpack. That snowpack is essential - when it melts- to help supply water needs including for agriculture, industry as well as household use.
Worse, as the climate warms, marine heat waves are becoming more frequent, severe and long-lasting. According to Colin McCarthy, a storm chaser affiliated with the University of California at Davis:
“A strong to severe marine heatwave is ongoing off the coast of California. In early March, ocean temperatures reached the mid- to upper 60s at Scripps Pier in La Jolla, California. That’s the average ocean temperature for mid-June."
Global average sea surface temperatures already set a record for April, 2024 at 60.8 degrees, which was 1.55 degrees above the long-term average and just 0.02 degree below the all-time record month of January 2016. On land, March 2024's global average surface temperature was 1.80 degrees above the 20th century average of 56.7 degrees, the fourth warmest over a 174-year record.. The Southern Hemisphere, meanwhile, had its warmest month ever, beating March by 0.10 degree.
These stats, make no mistake, are enough to fill the sentient citizen with trepidation. All we can do is buckle up and hope the coming heat dome and record heat will not spawn more devastating fires.
See Also:
UN Climate Framework Withdrawal By Trumpers Puts The Planet On Path To Runaway Greenhouse Effect
And:
An Earth Day Warning: Climate Hell On Its Way No Thanks To Dotard Trump
And:
Colorado River projected to deliver a third of normal water supplies
And:
Xcel Energy tells Front Range to prepare for power outages due to hot, dry weather
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