Our bodies aren’t used to summer temperatures yet, raising the risk of heat-related illnesses By June is the new July. Or maybe even August. At least it feels that way, as summer heat has already soared to record highs.
In the United States, West Coast residents sweltered earlier in the month as a called a heat dome trapped record-breaking high temperatures over the region ( ). Now, another heat dome is bringing another wave of extreme heat to swaths of the Midwest and East Coast, with temperatures forecasted to reach close to 38° Celsius (100° Fahrenheit) in many cities. It is early for this kind of heat, although probably not unprecedented, says Benjamin Zaitchik, a climate scientist at Johns Hopkins University.
“We’re seeing temperatures that have been more common for late July, early August. We’re seeing them this year in June, which is unusual. Weather can do that.
” With heat waves increasing in frequency and intensity around the globe, it’s part of the pattern of climate change. Such early heat waves can be more dangerous than ones that happen later in the summer, Zaitchik says. That’s in part because our bodies have adjusted to the heat by late summer, a bit like acclimatizing to a hot water bath.
Such sudden hot temperatures can also catch people by surprise. Outdoor activities that would normally be perfect for June weather in temperate locations can turn risky. In addition, across whole regions, overnight temperatures aren’t dropping enough to prov.
