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Grueling heat poised to break 10th straight monthly record in March: ‘Jaw-dropping July-like heat’

“Heatwaves have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration notably across many parts of the world during the past decades.”

By Jeremiah Budin for The Cool Down, April 9, 2024

March 2024 has officially been confirmed as the hottest March on record, according to scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Service. It was preceded by the hottest February, the hottest January, and so forth, stretching back for the past 10 months starting with July 2023. And experts warn that the trend is only going to continue.

What is happening?

“Jaw-dropping July-like heat blanketed Japan on March 31. 70 places broke or tied the monthly record,” Sayaka Mori, a meteorologist with NHK World, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Tokyo reached 28.1°C [82.6 degrees Fahreheit], making it the hottest March day since records began in 1876. This was nearly 12°C higher than normal and 3°C higher than the previous March record. Oh no…”

Statistics like these could be found all over Europe and Asia, as at least eight individual countries set national records for March warmth. Parts of West Africa, Central America, and several tropical locations also set heat records.

Why is this concerning?

According to a scientific study recently published in the journal Science (one of thousands of such studies at this point), these extreme heatwaves are due to the continued overheating of our planet caused by human activities, such as creating polluting gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

“Under global warming, heatwaves have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration notably across many parts of the world during the past decades,” the study’s authors wrote. “Moreover, these metrics are projected to further intensify in the coming decades under different carbon dioxide emission and socioeconomic development scenarios.”

Even more concerning, this overheating hasn’t just led to warmer days — the changes to the climate have led to an increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more.