Extreme wildfires in California due to Climate Change have resulted in ‘Highest Temperature on Earth’ today
One of the hottest air temperatures recorded anywhere on the planet in at least a century, and possibly ever, was reached on Sunday afternoon at Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert where it soared to 132 Fahrenheit (55 Celsius).
The temperature was recorded in the Valley’s sparsely populated Furnace Creek.
It was a dry heat: Humidity fell to 7%. But it felt “insanely hot” all the same, according to meteorologists.
The US state is also witnessing wildfires, 29 of them, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department has been posting maps of places which are affected by the fires and evacuations operations being carried out.
The wildfires have already blackened more than 1,20,000 acres of land, according to authorities. And excessive heat warning is also in place till Wednesday in may parts.
And then there is a risk of 10 million people being plunged into darkness as California’s grid operator works to keep the region’s power system from collapsing under the strain of one of the worst heat waves in generations.
The California Independent System Operator has imposed rolling blackouts to manage overwhelming energy demands caused by an extreme heatwave.
The current heat wave, which has roasted parts of Southern California in triple-digit temperatures since Friday, was attributed to an enormous high-pressure system over much of the Western United States, and was expected last through Wednesday.
