Heat wave – Melts at record speed

In the United States and Canada, hundreds of people have lost their lives after the temperature rose to almost 50 degrees. Since Friday, June 25, at least 486 sudden deaths have been recorded in the Canadian province of British Columbia, according to Al Jazeera.

– Quite scary

The heat wave is caused by a high pressure that traps hot air in the area, and which is referred to as a “heat dome”.

– It’s a big deal. We have lost a lot of glaciers lately as a result of climate change, or whatever it is – but that it goes so fast is really quite scary, says Scott Pattee, an employee of a meteorological organization that monitors snow and water in the state, according to The Independent.

Increases risk of fire

Pattee says that Paradise, an area near the stratovolcano Mount Rainer – located 87 km southeast of Seattle in – lost almost 90 centimeters of snow in five days.

The melting, which comes after months of winter snow, increases the risk of fires by exposing surface vegetation.

– After 30 years with this job in Washington, I can not remember seeing that it melts so fast when we have so much snow, he says.

In the last two days, 77 new forest fires have also occurred in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Hottest ever

On Friday, it was measured 54.4 degrees in Death Valley in California, which is close to the highest temperature which has ever been measured on earth. However, the official world record was set in July 1913 when it was measured 56.7 degrees in Death Valley.

US authorities state that this year’s June was the warmest ever measured in the United States.

As a result, 85 percent of the state of California is now experiencing the worst drought period ever recorded.

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