2022 heat waves

• 10–16 January: The Southern Cone had a severe heatwave. Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and certain parts of Brazil experienced extreme temperatures, with Argentina suffering the worse impacts.[1] According to WMO it affected water, energy supply, and agriculture.[2] Buenos Aires reached 41.5 °C (106.7 °F) and over 700,000 people lost power there.[3] Parts of the country reached 45 °C (113 °F).[4][1]
• 14 January: In Australia, in the town of Onslow, the temperature hit 50.7 °C (123.3 °F). If verified, the temperature would be tied as the highest in the Southern Hemisphere.[5]
• 18–23 January: In Perth, the capital city of Western Australia the city experienced 6 consecutive days with temperatures in excess of 40 °C (104 °F). Perth had eleven days of temperatures over 40 °C (104 °F) during the 2021–2022 summer, topping the previous record of seven days recorded in 2016–2017.[6]

• 8–13 February: Multiple cities in central and southern California, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego experienced a record-breaking heat wave. San Francisco recorded 26 °C (78 °F) on 10 February, an all-time record for the city for meteorological winter. Palm Springs recorded 34 °C (93 °F) on 11 February.[7]

• Starting in late March India and Pakistan began experiencing one of the hottest March–April periods on record.[8] At least 90 people were killed by the heat wave; 25 in India and 65 in Pakistan.[9]
• In early March, a strong heatwave affected Northern Australia, and in particular North Queensland, with the city of Townsville equalling or beating the previous March minimum temperature record 5 times in one week.

• A major heat wave affecting the United States started in May. Three residents in a senior building died on 14 May in Chicago due to the intense heat, because the air conditioning would not turn on.[10] On 19 May in Memphis, as temperatures soared to near record highs of 33 °C (91 °F), a toddler died after being left in a car.[11] On 21 May, intense heat surged into the Mid-Atlantic, causing a near record hot Preakness Stakes, with Baltimore hitting 35 °C (95 °F), with temperatures of 35 °C (95 °F) also being felt in Philadelphia, 33 °C (92 °F) in Washington DC, and 32 °C (90 °F) in New York City.[12]

• A historic heat wave affected the Midwestern United States and Southeastern United States in the second week of June 2022. In Phoenix, a daily record was tied, with temperatures of 46 °C (114 °F).[13] In North Platte, Nebraska, a record temperature of 42 °C (108 °F) was recorded.[14] In Death Valley, a man died when trying to refuel gas as temperatures climbed to 51 °C (123 °F).[15] Temperatures in Memphis soared to 37 °C (98 °F), with a heat index of 43 °C (110 °F). This forced over 125 million people under excessive heat warnings.[16] Following a brief respite 18 June, the heat wave returned into the following days.[17] In Odessa, Texas, thousands of residents were left without water as temperatures reached 41 °C (105 °F).[18] In San Antonio, every day in June 2022 was at least as hot as 38 °C (100 °F).[19] In Chicago, Midway Airport recorded three days with high temperatures of at least 38 °C (100 °F) between 14 and 21 June.[20]
• Heat waves affecting Europe began in June. The Spanish heat wave began on 12 June.
• On 29 June 2022, Japan saw the worst heatwave in 150 years.[21]

• China has suffered several heat waves, starting 5 July. According to the China Meteorological Administration, Turpan is expected to reach 50 °C (122 °F) between 25 and 31 July.[22]
• A heat wave beginning on 8 July in the United Kingdom saw the first red extreme heat warning to ever be issued in the country, causing it to be declared a national emergency on 15 July.[23] An unconfirmed report from the Met Office on 19 July indicated a new record temperature for the United Kingdom, 40.3 °C (104.5 °F). This is the first time the temperature exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) in the United Kingdom.[24]
• On 13 July in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, the temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit), fanning the flames of devastating wildfires.[25][26]
• An intense, fatal heat swept through the United States in July. More than 100 million people were put on heat alerts, and over 85% of the country had temperatures at or above 32 °C (90 °F). A man died in Dallas County, Texas, and a heat emergency was triggered in Washington DC due to temperatures over 35 °C (95 °F), on the weekend of 23–24 July. This extreme heat severely intensified drought conditions. Arkansas and Missouri went from 1% and 2% of their states from seeing severe drought or worse, to a quarter and a third. Temperatures in Abilene, Texas on 20 July hit 43 °C (110 °F), breaking a daily record. Austin, Texas also saw a daily high record of 40 °C (104 °F). Daily record high low temperature records were set, like in Needles, California, where the temperature never dipped below 35 °C (95 °F) on 20 July. Record warm low temperatures were also set in Galveston (30 °C (86 °F)), Witchita Falls (29 °C (84 °F)), Houston (27 °C (81 °F)) and Laredo (27 °C (81 °F)), on 20 July.[27] The heat wave was responsible for 18 other deaths, including 12 in Maricopa County, Arizona and one at Badlands National Park.[28] Witchita Falls hit 46 °C (115 °F) on 20 July, a record for July, while on that day Oklahoma also reached that mark.

• Another heat wave moved across the United States in early August. In early August, a heat wave forced 80 million Americans under heat alerts.[29] Albany, New York set a new daily record high of 99 °F (37 °C) on 4 August.[30] Boston set a new daily record high on 8 August, at 98 °F (37 °C).[31] On 9 August, Philadelphia got an excessive heat warning due to heat indexes over 105 °F (41 °C) for two consecutive hours.[32] This led to a ten-day long heat wave in Philadelphia, while Boston saw temperatures above 95 °F (35 °C) for six days in a row.[33] Due to this, the New York Metropolitan Area had a top 5 hottest August, and Islip, New York and Newark, New Jersey had their warmest on record,[34] and so did Philadelphia a little bit to the southwest.[35] Further west, Missoula, Montana saw their hottest August on record.[36] August, like July, was the warmest for daily minimums.[37] Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire had their warmest August on record.[38] In addition, Newark set a record for the most days above 90 °F (32 °C) in August.[39]

• On 1 September, Death Valley hit 52.8 °C (127 °F) a global record for September. On 4 September, a monthly record was set in Casper, Wyoming at 37.8 °C (100 °F). Sacramento hit a record high on 6 September, of 46.7 °C (116 °F). San Francisco also had a daily record that day of 36.1 °C (97 °F). A monthly record high of Salt Lake City was set that day as well, at 39.4 °C (103 °F). There were two deaths- one each in Arizona and Idaho. Fairfield, CA hit 47.2 °C (117 °F) on 6 Sept..[40]

• A record breaking November heat waves shatters records across the Eastern United States on 5–7 November. On 5 November, Buffalo saw their second highest November temperature at 79 °F (26 °C).[41] On 6 November,Burlington, Vermont reached 76 °F (24 °C), the warmest so late in the year. Atlanta hit 83 °F (28 °C), which tied for the hottest temperature so late in the year. Harlingen, Texas hit 92 °F (33 °C) which also tied for the hottest so late in the year. Washington DC and Baltimore had lows of 66 °F (19 °C) and 64 °F (18 °C), the warmest so late in the year. Portland, Maine set a record for warmest November low, at 59 °F (15 °C), after a monthly record high of 75 °F (24 °C).[42] On 7 November, it was so warm several places set monthly high temperature records, including Islip at 80 °F (27 °C), Bridgeport at 79 °F (26 °C), Baltimore and Washington DC at 81 °F (27 °C), and New Orleans at 90 °F (32 °C),[43][44][45] while Atlantic City tied their record high for November at 80 °F (27 °C).[46] With a mean temperature of 60.1 °F (15.6 °C), Albany, New York had its warmest first week of November on record.[47]

As record-breaking heatwaves and droughts affected water supplies, rivers (along with shipping and nuclear reactor cooling), ecosystems, various global supply chains, health, and agriculture worldwide,[48][49][50][51] in Europe, Spain domestically restricted e.g. air conditioning to defined temperature ranges,[52] in the U.S., entities were required to provide plans to reduce their water usage,[53] and China experienced large blackouts[54] and experimented with cloud seeding among other measures, despite experts stating it would be "marginally effective" and possibly exacerbate problems.[55] Several journalists of online newspapers have put these extreme weather events into the context of climate change adaptation (alongside highlighting of the importance of climate change mitigation).[56][57][58]

• Weather of 2022
• 2021 heat waves

29.^Lehoullier,Jack (6 September 2022) California and the West broil in record-setting heat wave – NPR. "Retrieved 13 September 2022."