For the first time in record history, temperatures with high humidity reached a scorching 144.1 degrees Fahrenheit. The Alerta Rio weather system reports what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity combined with the actual temperature. Record keeping of heat index has only taken place since 2014.
A heatwave stifling Brazil has set new records with Rio de Janeiro’s heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius (144.1 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest in a decade, weather authorities say.
The heat index measures what a temperature feels like by taking into account humidity. The actual maximum temperature in the city was 42C on Monday, the Rio Alert weather system said.
The 62.3C record was notched in western Rio at 09:55am (12:55 GMT) on Sunday, and was the “highest mark” since Alerta Rio began keeping such records in 2014.
The Ipanema and Copacabana beaches were packed with people as authorities published tips on coping with the heat.
“I am very afraid it will get worse because the population is increasing a lot and deforestation is very high due to the increase in housing,” 49-year-old administrative assistant Raquel Correia lamented in a park in central Rio.
The previous heat index record was set in November when it hit 59.7C (139.5F).
The thermal sensation (wind chill factor) “is a heat index calculated from temperature and relative humidity data. The higher the temperature and relative humidity, the greater the heat sensation in the region,” the COR also explained.
Geographical features of the Guaratiba region favor the occurrence of high temperatures and relative humidity, especially in the morning. “The region is humid because of its proximity to the ocean and usually receives the influence of warm northerly winds in the morning,” the agency added.
Forecasts for Monday mention temperatures between 39°C and above 50°C with no rain expected under a sky clear to partly cloudy.
Authorities have recommended the citizenry stay well hydrated, avoid outdoor activities between 10 am and 4 pm, use sunscreen, and wear light clothing.
The heat has been brutal in South America, particularly Chile, Amazonia, and Argentina, and it has caused massive wildfires.
Climate change could bring year-round heat waves: UN researcher
Heat waves are beginning earlier, lasting longer and becoming more intense, John Nairn, a senior extreme heat advisor at the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told AFP in an interview.
"It's the most rapidly emerging consequence of global warming that we are seeing in the weather systems," he said, stressing that this was in line with scientific predictions.
"People are far too relaxed about the signs," he lamented.
"The science has been saying this is coming your way. And this is not where it stops."
"It will only get more intense and more frequent."
Winter heat waves are now a thing. Here’s how to make sense of them.
It’s been a searingly hot summer south of the equator, and the region also had an unusually warm winter. Cities like Buenos Aires, Argentina, saw their hottest winter months in more than a century. In Australia, it was the hottest winter ever recorded.
The Southern Hemisphere has some different dynamics from the Northern Hemisphere. The big one is that there is proportionately more ocean than land in the south. Oceans absorb heat and act as buffers against big temperature swings, so winters usually don’t get too chilly and summers don’t often reach sweltering levels.
But the world’s oceans have been unusually warm since last year, and that’s helped maintain warm air over land masses in the Southern Hemisphere. And South America in particular is in the line of fire for El Niño. The region has already experienced both extensive flooding and drought fueled by warmer water off the Pacific coast, leading to shifting rainfall patterns.
The heat has also contributed to wildfires across the continent. In Chile, wildfires have already killed more than 120 people.