Summer is coming to an end, and what a summer it has been. The various catastrophes that scientists had warned about—extreme heat, flooding, wildfires—hit full-tilt over the past few months.
Yesterday we recapped the summer in 10 alarming maps and graphs, and below, we've gathered the essential stories WIRED's been covering from a harrowing season.
The heat alone has been staggering. June was the hottest June on record—then July went one step further and became the hottest month, period. Around the world, heat domes formed, basically giant caps of extra-warm air that self-perpetuate for weeks. Such extreme heat is imperiling your favorite foods and your health, and even the health of unborn babies. And because El Niño—the band of warm water in the Pacific—has formed and will linger through the winter, next year could bring even more record temperatures.
The heat in the oceans, too, has been literally off the charts, way above previous years' temperatures. Waters hit 101 degrees Fahrenheit off the coast of Florida, leading to the mass die-off of corals. Scientists are also worried about how such heat might be shaking the very foundation of the ocean food web.
Sky-high temperatures and brutal droughts—which climate change makes more common and longer-lasting—have set vast tracts of Canada on fire, pouring smoke into the United States. And on August 8, a wildfire tore through Lahaina, Maui, destroying thousands of structures and killing over 100 people.
Weirdly enough, climate change is also making it dangerously wetter in some places—a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture than a cooler one. Last week, Tropical Storm Hilary unleashed unfathomable amounts of water on Mexico and the Western US, leading to widespread flooding and debris flows of mud, boulders, and trees.
Summer may technically almost be over, but the danger isn't. High temperatures will linger, both on land and in the sea, and we're heading into peak fire season on the West Coast. Stay tuned to WIRED for the latest on the unfolding climate crisis.
