Hotter Than Ever: Deadly wet-bulb temperatures have arrived in the US
A large swathe of the US south just experienced temperatures that were hot and humid enough to kill a healthy person in the shade, while a large swathe of the north-east US chocked under some of the worst air quality in the world. At the same time, Texas is suffocating under a record-breaking heat dome.
And this is only the beginning.
The worst heat and humidity struck Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee yesterday, Friday, where wet-bulb temperatures soared above 90F. The wet bulb is a measure of heat and humidity. It is a literal measure of the reading of a thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth.
What does wet-bulb temperature mean?
The name comes from the thermometer covered in a wet cloth that is used to take the temperature reading, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The measurement is designed to effectively mimic how the body tries to cool itself with sweat.
Wet-bulb temperature combines dry air temperature (as you’d see on a thermometer) with humidity — in essence, it is a measure of heat-stress conditions in humans.
Unlike the heat index, which tells you how the human body would feel under shade, the wet bulb temperature indicates the expected stress on the human body when it is in direct sunlight by measuring the effect of temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation.
A wet-bulb temperature over 89F (31.5C) is extremely dangerous to the human body, even if you’re sitting in the shade, not moving, and drinking water. At these temperatures, your body struggles to cool, because the surrounding air is so wet your sweat can’t evaporate.
At around 95F (35C), no amount of shade, lack of movement, or hydration can save you. Your body simply can’t lower its temperature. Heat stroke sets in, your organs begin to cook and death is inevitable.
Regions with the most effective Wet Bulb Temperatures in the U.S
While deadly wet bulbs arrived this week in the US South, Texas has been hit with drier, record-breaking heat of up to 117F (47.2C).
The signs were here earlier this year when Texas hit 104F (40C) in late February, the earliest 104F in the history of the United States.
Record-breaking heat has also been recorded elsewhere this year, including the UK, which smashed its previous record by an incredible 1.6C, reaching more than 40C. Portugal reached 47C on the 21st of this month, the hottest July day on record, while several places in France recorded new highs.
At the same time, cities in Canada and the US northeast have choked under some of the worst air quality in the world, as record-breaking wildfires in Canada smother massive areas of North America.
By early June, normally the start of wildfire season, wildfires had already burnt more boreal forest in Canada than any other year on record. These fires have released 160 million tons of carbon dioxide, almost the same amount as all of Canada’s carbon emissions in 2021.
What are the Effects & Prevention of this deadly climate change?
Here are some ways to prevent Injury and illness due to this deadly WBT:
You could hardly imagine bigger climatic disasters than these. But we have to. Because without radical action to transform economies and end fossil fuel burning, these events will not be outliers. They will become the norm.
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