The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Red-hot planet: All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week

July 5, 2018 at 10:51 a.m. EDT
Simulation of <a href="http://cci-reanalyzer.org/wx/DailySummary/#t2max">maximum temperatures on July 3</a> from American (GFS) weather model at two meters above the ground. (University of Maine Climate Reanalyzer)

Note: This article was published in July 2018.

From the normally mild summer climes of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East to Southern California, numerous locations in the Northern Hemisphere have witnessed their hottest weather ever recorded over the past week.

Large areas of heat pressure or heat domes scattered around the hemisphere led to the sweltering temperatures. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports the heat is to blame for at least 54 deaths in southern Quebec, mostly in and near Montreal, which endured record high temperatures.