Extreme temperatures have caused approximately 489,000 heat -related deaths each year Between 2000 and 2019, with 36% in Europe and 45% in Asia.
The impacts on heat health are particularly serious in cities due to the so-called “effect of the urban heat island”-overheating areas of the dense city compared to their rural environment-which is to enlarge problems like Continuous urbanization.
In the midst of growing 21st century temperatures, the Wmo underlined that July 2025 was the richest, ever recorded July thirdBehind those in 2023 and 2024.
Continuation of European heat
In this July record, heat waves particularly had an impact on Sweden and Finland, which have experienced unusually long temperature spells above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees fahrenheit).
Southeast Europe has also faced thermal waves and forest activities, Türkiye recording a new extreme national summit of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees fahrenheit).
Asia, North Africa, United States
In Asia, temperatures climbed above average in most of the Himalayas, China and Japan in July, the extreme heat continued in August.
During the week before August 5, temperatures exceeded 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) through Western Asia, south of Central Asia, the southwest of the United States, a large part of North and South Africa of Pakistan-with certain areas exceeding 45 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit).
Some parts of the southwest Iran and eastern Iraq have experienced particularly severe temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), disturbing electricity and water supply, education and work.
For the week of August 4, Morocco issued heat warnings for temperatures up to 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees fahrenheit).
Korea has also issued generalized heat warnings because the resort’s temperature records have been beaten in parts of China.
In Japan, a new national temperature record of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) was set on August 5, breaking the previous record of 41.2 degrees Celsius paid a week before.
Ahead
Looking at next week, the World Meteorological Center in Beijing provides that the heat waves will persist in the same regions as well as the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Mexico.
These regions should see maximum temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius (100.4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), with parts of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, North and South West Africa which exceeds 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
Canadian forest fires
While Canada is experiencing one of its worst forest seasons never recorded, with 6.6 million hectares burned, smoke polluted the sky and caused poor air quality in several provinces and northern United States in late July and early August.
Twice this summer, smoke from Canadian fires crossed the Atlantic, affecting the sky over Western Europe from August 5 to 7 and above the center and southern Europe in late June.
Elsewhere, Cyprus, Greece and Türkiye fought forest fires which forced the evacuations and caused deaths. In the United States, a forest fire in the Arizona Grand Canyon National Park disrupted tourism on the emblematic site.
‘Plus an excuse’
“” The extreme heat is sometimes called the silent killer, but with the science, data and technologies of today, silence is no longer an excuse. Each death of extreme heat is avoidable“Said the deputy secretary general of the WMO, Ko Barrett.
WMO endeavors to strengthen early heat alert systems under the The first warnings for all initiative. In collaboration with global and local partners, it also helps countries develop thermal health action plans and guarantee that populations at risk receive timely alerts.
WMO is also one of the ten UN agencies supporting The appeal to the secretary general’s action on extreme heatwhich aims to stimulate global cooperation to reduce thermal impacts thanks to economic and social policy. A key objective is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in accordance with 2015 Paris Agreement.
According to estimates of the WMO and the World Health Organization (WHO), the scaling of thermal health warning systems in 57 countries alone could save nearly 100,000 lives per year.
“” Our network connects science, politics and action so that no community is left behind In the race to adapt to climate change which will continue to worsen extreme heat for the coming years, “said Joy Shumake-Guillemot, head of the joint climate and health program of WMO and health of the World Health of Health (Ghhin).
“It is not only a climate question, it is a public health emergency,” she concluded.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
