Global temperatures may have set new records in July, according to some early analyzes. With high temperatures in the United States making headlines this week, the Biden administration has introduced measures to protect workers from the scorching heat.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said scientists had confirmed that July was trending to be the hottest month on record in the world. A study suggests that global temperatures in July could be 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit above the previous record set in 2019.

It’s been hot in Arizona. Earlier this month, Phoenix broke the 1974 record for the number of consecutive days with temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.

Farmer John Boultz of Yuma County, Arizona, said the heat people in his area are experiencing is typical of July.

“The heat affects us all the time, but I think the best way to describe it is that we are used to it,” says Boults, who runs Desert Premium Farms in Yuma, Arizona, with his wife, Alicia. says. July and the low desert here in Yuma,” he added.

Arizona’s continuous heat waves aren’t the only news this week. The state had one of the coldest days ever this week, with a record low of 97 degrees Celsius at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Wednesday. It was the highest temperature recorded in the city on July 26.

“I remember walking past the bank sign on my way to work when I was a teenager when I started working full time on the farm, long before cars had thermometers. , 94 degrees, 95 degrees, 99 degrees, it wasn’t uncommon to see numbers around sunrise here in Yuma and you’re driving through town and into the fields. That’s what we’re going through right now,” he says.

His area is known for growing leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower and other crops that are shipped to the United States and Canada, but these crops are grown during Arizona’s hot summer months. not a thing

“At this time of the year, we know it will be hot. to start planting the melons in the fall and the winter crops in August,” says Bolt.

Crops such as cotton require heat and lots of sunlight, making them ideal for Arizona in the summer. Boultz said he and other farmers were made even more difficult by two consecutive record-breaking months of May and June.

Blame (partially) the El Niño phenomenon

What caused the hot weather that persisted in the South and Southwest earlier this month to intrude into the Midwest this week? USDA meteorologist Brad Lippy says troublesome heat for the South began in mid-June. .

“That’s when we knew we were starting to have problems in Texas. More recently, its range has expanded into the western United States, especially the desert southwest. It’s likely more related to El Niño than what we’ve seen,” Lippy said. “So some of the hot temperatures in Texas and Arizona, for example, could be attributed to an ongoing El Niño.”

There’s also a link between this week’s Canadian high pressure and the heat in Texas, Lippy said.

“It’s kind of a mix between blocks, so to speak, and that’s what’s causing some of the extreme heat we’re seeing in the western Cornbelt and Great Plains this week. But it’s not entirely related to El Niño,” Lippy added.

NOAA officials announced that an El Niño event had arrived in June, but signs of it have been minimal so far. Earlier this year, some officials predicted that the onset of El Niño would bring enough rainfall to the Corn Belt and other positive changes. But Lippy says the current summer weather isn’t too far from typical El Niño.

“The greatest impact of El Niño on Northern Hemisphere weather usually occurs in the cooler months after October, so it occurs from October to April,” Lippy said. “That’s when we see a consistent signal in Nino, where it’s usually wet in the southern US, but it’s often mild and dry in the north.”

signs of change

He said it would take months for the effects of El Niño to become apparent, but for now it is contributing to the heat in the Deep South.

Mr. Boults manages the Arizona heat every year, but this year he and other residents have made it even better to keep the humidity levels high, not just where he lives, but on the Colorado River. He said he hopes to continue.

“We know we won’t get a lot of rain, so we’re very dependent on being able to irrigate our crops with water from the Colorado River,” he says. “And we are very excited to see that not only Arizona, which has been a big contributor to the Colorado River Basin this year, but also the upper reaches of the Basin, have had a lot of moisture raining down on the Colorado River Basin this year. in Utah and Colorado. We are on the right track and are refilling these reservoirs. Therefore, we expect that we are at the beginning of an improving trend. ”