June Sizzles: Record Heat Hits 12 Countries as Global Warming Takes Its Toll

PARIS (AFP) — June 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded in 12 countries, spanning from Nigeria to Japan and Pakistan to Spain, while 26 other nations experienced exceptionally warm temperatures, according to an analysis by Agence France-Presse based on data from the European climate monitor Copernicus.

An estimated 790 million people across Europe, Asia, and Africa endured their hottest June on record. For residents in 26 additional countries, including the United Kingdom, China, France, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia, June ranked as the second hottest month ever documented.

Climate experts attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves to global warming. Here’s a breakdown of the extraordinary heat recorded in June.

Europe: 3°C above the norm
An early summer heat wave swept through Western and Southern Europe in late June, bringing scorching temperatures to the Paris region in France and parts of Belgium and the Netherlands – areas unaccustomed to such extreme heat.

Approximately 15 countries, including Switzerland, Italy, and all Balkan states, saw temperatures rise 3°C above the June average recorded between 1981 and 2010. Spain, Bosnia, and Montenegro experienced their hottest June to date.

Asia-Pacific: Record-breaking heat on land and sea
Japan also logged its hottest June since record-keeping began in 1898, with 14 cities reporting unprecedented temperatures during a heat wave.

Coastal water temperatures were 1.2°C higher than usual, matching the record set in June 2024 – the highest since data collection started in 1982, according to the weather agency’s July 1 report.

Japan’s summer last year had already tied with 2023 as the hottest on record, followed by the warmest autumn in 126 years of meteorological history.

Experts note that Japan’s iconic cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warming climate. In some cases, they fail to fully blossom because autumn and winter temperatures aren’t cold enough to trigger flowering.

Both South and North Korea experienced their warmest June since records began, with temperatures in both countries averaging 2°C above normal.

In China, 102 weather stations recorded their hottest June day ever, with some areas reporting temperatures above 40°C (104°F), according to state media.

Central Asia: Hottest spring on record
Pakistan, home to 250 million people, and Tajikistan, with its population of 10 million, both saw record-high temperatures for June.

These June records followed an exceptionally hot spring across Central Asia. Several countries in the region, including Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, experienced their warmest spring (April-June) ever recorded.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Nearly as hot as 2024
Nigeria, the world’s sixth most populous country with 230 million inhabitants, saw temperatures rise to match the record-breaking levels of June 2024.

Other parts of Central and Eastern Africa also experienced extreme heat. June ranked as the second hottest month on record after 2024 in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia.

In South Sudan, temperatures surpassed the normal June average by 2.1°C, an exceptional deviation in a region where temperatures typically remain relatively stable.

This impoverished nation, already grappling with insecurity, is ill-equipped to handle increasing environmental disasters. It had previously struggled with a devastating heat wave in March, typically the hottest month of the year.

In the capital city of Juba, reports of students collapsing from heat exhaustion prompted the government to close schools and urge citizens to remain indoors.

“Extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity, and displacement,” warned the UN World Meteorological Organization in May. AFP