While heatwaves are nothing new to American summers, the regularity and severity of such events is worsening due to the human-caused climate crisis. The release of heat-trapping gases due to the burning of fossil fuels has caused global temperatures to escalate above anything previously experienced during human civilization.

“We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now,” said Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications non-profit.

“That is, more frequent, more severe heatwaves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures. These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting in The Guardian

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