Climate change 'likely' to blame for heat wave that hit eastern Canada in June

Identifying the causes of heat waves more quickly. That’s the mission the Canadian government is set to take on after the country was rocked by unusual weather events. A first-of-its-kind study has shown that climate change was to blame for the heat wave that hit eastern Canada last June. “2 to 10 times more likely”The Environment Ministry said on Tuesday.

In mid-June, the Atlantic Coast provinces of Quebec and Ontario experienced temperatures that were 7 to 10 degrees above seasonal averages, according to the study, which quickly analyzes the role of human activity in recent heat waves by comparing current data with those from the pre-industrial era.

Temperature records dating back to the 1870s, when the data was first recorded, were broken in New Brunswick, with a high of 34.5 degrees Celsius in Saint John, for example. The analysis revealed unusually high daytime temperatures, high humidity and above-normal nighttime temperatures. “leaving little or no discomfort”This heat wave. “It has become more likely due to the impact of climate change.”The Ministry concludes by emphasizing that: “It is rare to see such weather conditions so early in June.”.

Link heat wave to human activity

this Rapid Support System for Extreme Weather Events He should “Identifying the relationship between the recent heat wave and human-caused climate change” In order to illustrate climate change in a concrete way. The ministry said the test is currently in the testing phase, and will then be expanded to include other extreme events such as cold waves or floods.

In particular, the heat wave currently affecting western Canada will be analyzed, with more than 50 daily records broken in British Columbia and Alberta in recent days. The European Copernicus Observatory announced on Monday that June 2024, with the series of heat waves that hit Mexico, China and Saudi Arabia, is the 13th consecutive month to set a record for an average temperature higher than the corresponding months. It also became the hottest June on record, erasing a record already broken in 2023.