MAY 4, 2022
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/951507
Introduction:
(EurekAlert) A new study has revealed the most intense heatwaves ever across the world – and remarkably some of these went almost unnoticed decades ago.
The research, led by the University of Bristol, also shows heatwaves are projected to get hotter in future as climate change worsens.
The western North America heatwave last summer was record-breaking with an all-time Canadian high of 49.6 °C in Lytton, British Columbia, on June 29, an increase of 4.6 °C from the previous peak.
The new findings, published today in Science Advances, uncovered five other heatwaves around the world which were even more severe, but went largely underreported.
Lead author, climate scientist Dr Vikki Thompson at the University of Bristol, said: “The recent heatwave in Canada and the United States shocked the world. Yet we show there have been some even greater extremes in the last few decades. Using climate models, we also find extreme heat events are likely to increase in magnitude over the coming century – at the same rate as the local average temperature.”