Part of the United States is hot, really hot. A heat wave is hitting the south of the country hard, especially Texas and Louisiana, with “dangerous” temperatures and in which experts point to the role of global warming.
With summer just beginning, millions of Americans are under extreme heat alerts, with temperatures often topping 40°C. The episode also affects part of New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and northern Florida.
Damaged roads in Houston
“This heat wave is more intense, more widespread, and probably also longer” than what it would have been without the impact of human activities, estimates Andrew Pershing, vice-president in charge of science for the NGO Climate. Central. Preliminary analysis by this organization determined that current temperatures were made at least five times more likely by climate change.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, a heat alert was issued from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. In Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the country with 2.3 million inhabitants, refreshment centers have been opened so that fragile people can take refuge there. Roads were damaged due to the heat, and workers were busy Tuesday to repair them. “Some places in Texas have temperatures that have exceeded 37°C for more than two weeks, which is very unusual for this time of year, even in an area used to heat,” said Andrew Pershing.
“Drink plenty of water, stay in rooms with air conditioning, shade, and check on your family and neighbors,” the US Weather Services (NWS) urged, calling the conditions “dangerously hot.” They also advised wearing light clothing and rescheduling strenuous activities at the start or end of the day.
Animals also suffer
These extreme temperatures have already lasted for days but are gradually spreading eastward, and are expected to last until the weekend. The small Texas town of Del Rio, on the border with Mexico, broke its heat record for eight consecutive days, reaching around 43 ° C on Sunday. At the end of last week, in the south of the State, Big Bend National Park announced the death of two people who had gone hiking when the temperature was 48°C. A 14-year-old lost consciousness and died, along with his father, in a car accident as he left to seek help. Animals also suffer: twelve cats and a dog were found dead in an abandoned apartment, according to the Houston Humane Society.