Mexico is currently facing a record heat wave. Rising temperatures in Mexico are driving electricity consumption to record levels, prompting the country’s Energy Agency to issue a rare grid capacity alert while the government downplayed reports of power outages.
A man cools off with water from a fountain on one of the hottest days of the third heat wave in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico | ULISES RUIZ/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
With temperatures exceeding 45C in parts of the country, the grid briefly went into a state of emergency, the National Center for Energy Control (Cenace) said on Tuesday, achieving an operating reserve margin of less than 6%. The last time the state of emergency was declared was during a cold spell in February 2021, Cenace said.
Daily demand reached a historic level of nearly 51,000 megawatts per hour last week, said Jorge Musalem, executive director of the National Electricity Federation (CFE), on Twitter. According to Cenace data, Wednesday’s daily demand is expected to be even higher at 51,782 megawatts per hour.
Power consumption tends to increase at high temperatures as the use of air conditioners increases. Local media reported power outages in 12 states over the past two weeks.
A town in Michoacan state was without power for several days after a power transmitter exploded. The Mexican president said this city was an exception, stressing that only eight people had died as a result of the heat across the country this year.
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A government spokesman added that electricity was normal across the country and that reports of impending blackouts were merely propaganda of fear. The heat wave in Mexico is expected to continue for a few more days.
Extreme heat spreads to Texas
Warm air from Mexico reaches the southern United States. A heatwave in Texas has already broken all records in some places and shows no sign of abating, possibly until at least July 4th. This period of dangerous and scorching heat began building north of Mexico last week and has been gaining momentum in recent days.
Not only is the heatwave breaking records for any given calendar day, but it has rewritten the history books with alltime records in some locations where meteorological observations have been made for over 100 years.
Extreme heat can last until early July. From this point in the summer, unless a tropical system brings massive rainfall, it is generally difficult to achieve appreciable heat relief on the Southern Plains.
Record heat in China
According to weather data and local media reports, Thursday saw Beijing provisionally record the highest temperature in June since reliable records began, while much of northern China was muggy from temperatures exceeding 40C.
Scientists say rising global temperatures driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels are exacerbating extreme weather events around the world, and many countries in Asia have experienced deadly heat waves and record temperatures in recent weeks.
At the Nanjiao meteorological station in southern Beijing, which is taken as a reference for temperatures in the Chinese capital, the temperature reached 41.1 °C at 3:19 p.m. (local time) on Thursday, according to the local Beijing News, citing the national meteorological station reported service. According to state media, the figure is 0.5°C higher than the previous station record of 40.6°C set in June 1961.
Other weather stations around the capital recorded even higher temperatures, with Tanghekou in northern Beijing hitting 41.8C early afternoon today, making it the hottest place in the country, according to state media. China’s national weather service did not immediately confirm whether official temperature records were broken.
Chinese uses plastic water bottles to swim while cooling off in a canal in Beijing | GREG BAKER/AFP/METSUL METEOROLOGIA
Along Beijing’s canals, residents sought shelter from the scorching heat by swimming and floating in the water. In neighboring Tianjin home to more than 13 million people temperatures in the city center also soared, with western Xiqing District recording its hottest day in June at 40.6C.
According to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), about 17 weather stations nationwide recorded “record temperature extremes.” “June has never been this hot, but now it’s so hot my hands are shaking,” one user wrote on social media platform Weibo. “Are there three suns shining over Beijing now? It’s hot enough to trigger a meltdown,” wrote another.
The scorching heat coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, a time when many Chinese go out to socialize. High temperatures are expected to persist in northern China during the threeday holiday, particularly around Beijing and parts of the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang regions.
“These current hightemperature weather systems are affecting large areas and will continue for a long time,” state broadcaster CCTV said. Authorities have urged people to limit their time outdoors, warning of an increased risk of heat stroke and other health conditions.
Understand the heat wave in the world
Heat waves in Asia, South America and Europe and other parts of the world have already smashed records this year, while the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon will ensure even more extreme temperatures. Here’s how climate change creates extreme heat, how scientists predict heat waves, and the risks to human health:
What is extreme heat?
Extreme heat is defined by an average baseline temperature in each location, which varies widely around the world. For example, a spring temperature of 25°C may be a record in parts of Canada, but may be below the average for the same period in the Middle East.
What role does climate change play?
“Heattrapping greenhouse gases are at the root of the problem,” said Martin Jucker, a professor at the University of New South Wales’ Center for Climate Change Research. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide play a crucial role in preventing heat from being reflected or lost in our atmosphere.
When this process is in equilibrium, it keeps the planet at a habitable temperature. However, an unsustainable increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to more heat being stored, leading to a general impact of global warming and other climate anomalies.
For example, heated air holds more moisture, resulting in stronger and more frequent storms. Overall, climate change is increasing the duration, intensity and geographic range of heat waves, scientists say.
What about human intervention?
The problem is exacerbated in some places by the way cities are built the socalled heat island effect, in which metropolitan areas are hotter than surrounding rural areas. Because cities with too little greenery and too much concrete, asphalt and other building materials absorb heat and often don’t provide enough shade. The use of cooling technologies such as air conditioning leads to a growing demand for energy, including fossil fuels, which are responsible for the climate crisis in the first place.
Are all heat waves linked to climate change?
To determine the role of climate change in a specific event, experts use a technique called attribution science. They simulate a world with and without climate change using historical and recent measurements or computer models. Comparing the two “gives us a measure of how much more likely a particular extreme is in the wake of climate change,” Jucker said.
The Carbon Brief organization has collected findings on over 500 events, most of which have been found to have become more severe or likely due to climate change. Only a handful, including some floods, droughts and extreme cold, have no clear link to human activity, while in others experts say the evidence is inconclusive.
“All heatwaves in the world are now stronger and more likely due to humancaused climate change,” says Friederike Otto, a researcher at Imperial College London and a pioneer of the attribution method.
How does extreme heat affect humans?
Exposure to higher than normal temperatures leads to health problems ranging from heat stroke and dehydration to cardiovascular stress. People with preexisting heart disease are particularly at risk because the body responds to heat by pumping more blood to cool the skin.
Risk is also unevenly distributed, with the elderly and the sick being most at risk and those who work outdoors or live in places without air conditioning suffering more often. The deadliest heat combines high temperatures with high humidity—humid air impairs the body’s ability to cool itself through sweat.
In May, a study warned that on our current climate path, onefifth of the world’s population would be exposed to extreme and potentially deadly heat by the end of the century. “For every 0.1°C of warming above current levels, about 140 million people will be exposed to dangerous heat,” warned the study, published in Nature Sustainability.