Those living in the Northern Hemisphere were painfully aware that July 2022 was a hot month. NASA Earth Observatory has also created a pair of maps using satellites to depict this terribly hot moon. Observations that show how scorching temperatures are across much of North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia are clearly visible on the map.
The first map (below) shows daily high temperatures in the US on July 31, when temperatures in parts of the country, such as Texas and California’s Central Valley, rose above 48°C. As you can see on the map, temperatures are particularly scorching in the Southeast states, the Great Plains, and the Pacific Northwest.
During the month, nearly the entire United States saw above-average temperatures, and intense heat warnings were issued to more than 150 million people (almost half the population).
One reason July was so hot was that a “heat dome” appeared over the United States: a high pressure ridge formed in the central and eastern United States, preventing heat from escaping like the lid of a boiling pot. The trapped warm air also dried and heated the land surface, causing the air to become even hotter.
The United States wasn’t the only one feeling the heat. Europe also saw a significant heat wave in July, with 40.3 degrees in the UK. France, on the other hand, saw its hottest day on record with 45.9 degrees. Deadly forest fires also ravaged France, Portugal, Spain and Greece, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The animation below shows the effect of the heat wave on Earth:
The intense heat also damages the infrastructure. With air conditioners running at full power, Europe’s power grid was strained during record-breaking heat days. In England, London reportedly consumed a record amount of extra electricity, and the region narrowly escaped a power outage.
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