Climate change

The Guardian -   New data released on Tuesday showed the first six months of the year were the hottest ever measured for parts of eight western states.

That data arrives as a potentially record-breaking heatwave is underway in the east. The National Weather Service expects temperatures over the 4 July holiday weekend to approach all time highs from Washington DC to New York with sweltering heat indexes topping 115F (46C).

This week’s intense heatwave will affect more than 100 million Americans and will be intensified by the growing influence of El Niño and a massive drought affecting 45 states. A similarly intense heatwave in recent days pushed temperatures to their highest-ever level in France, Germany and Denmark, resulting in hundreds of deaths across Europe.

Across the western US, numerous wildfires have broken – including in the mountains of Colorado where a dearth of winter snows remain after a record-warm start to the year.

“Our communities are feeling the firsthand impacts of severe drought and imminent fire danger,” Jared Polis, the Colorado governor, said at a wildfire briefing on Monday.