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Hitting 90 straight months of above average temperatures in Longyearbyen certainly makes for a hot headline. But it’s nothing compared to the heat felt by locals spending their summer holidays scattered elsewhere around the world.
Sweltering social media posts about sweating in record temperatures reaching nearly 50 degree Celsius in southern Europe, nearly 40 degrees in mainland Norway and more than 30 degrees above the Arctic Circle was just the tip of the rapidly melting iceberg. A global heatwave caused widespread deaths and health problems, massive disruptions in community and commercial activities, and a flareup of fears this is the new normal due to climate change.
Meanwhile, even while continuing its streak of unusually warm months, Longyearbyen yet again proved why its one of the coolest places on Earth as the average temperature of 7.2 degrees in July was a mere 1.3 degrees above normal. And the heat never even reached an unlucky 13 degrees, with the highest temperature reaching 12.9 degrees on July 31.
Furthermore, there was plenty of cooling rain and clouds, with the 34.1 millimeters of rain during the month well exceeding the norm of 18.0 millimeters. (It’s worth noting that with researchers blaming climate change for the widespread freaky weather, Ny-Ålesund set a precipitation record with 99.4 millimeters and approached the monthly average of 28 millimeters in a single day with 22.4 millimeters on July 11.)
But hitting a landmark month for Longyearbyen’s streak with those kinds of stats are hardly likely to fuel many burning passions. So, in honor of hitting that mark, here’s the story of the “summer from hell” told in 90 heated headlines that begin in the neighborhood, spread to the rest of the world, ponder short- and long-term implications, and descend into the embers of sheer lunacy.
Heat wave under the midnight sun
It’s 90 degrees in the Arctic Circle this week. Here’s why.
Arctic Circle hits 32C as Europe heatwave nears record temperatures
The heatwave is so harsh, reindeer are hiding in tunnels to keep cool
Norway is in the grips of a severe heatwave
Norway could see 40-degree summers: climate experts
A Global Heat Wave Has Set the Arctic Circle on Fire
Ten times more wildfires in Russian Arctic than a decade ago as ice melts and gives way to flame
Warming Arctic could be at heart of deadly July heatwave
Warming alters predator-prey interactions in the Arctic
Migratory barnacle geese threatened by rapidly rising Arctic temperatures
Huge part of Arctic ocean is shifting to an Atlantic climate, study finds
Heatwave Europe on verge of 48C record as temperatures put Britain in the shade
How Record Heat Wreaked Havoc on Four Continents
Global heatwave: Scores dead across Europe and Asia, thousands more injured
All the reasons much of the world is in the grip of a heatwave
We’re Going to Die in Record Numbers as Heatwaves Bake The World, First Global Study Shows
Deadly heat wave to grip Japan early this week
Japan heat wave pushes temperature to record high 41.1 degrees
Japan heatwave: Death toll climbs to 80
Japan’s heat wave drives up food prices, prison inmate dies
Tokyo’s heatwave suggests risky temperatures for the 2020 Olympics. Here’s what the city can do
China region set to become deadliest heat wave zone: report
Sanctions-hit North Korea warns of natural disaster brought by heat wave
Heat wave blamed for 53 deaths in Montreal
Heat wave in Spain claims eight lives
Red alerts for Portugal, Spain amid smothering heat wave
The brilliant pictures that sum up the heatwave of 2018 in Wales
Hot in the Highlands: Scottish games defeated by heat wave
Warmer than average autumn expected after UK summer heatwave
Is Germany’s Heat Wave a Preview of the Future?
The Latest: French cities ban polluting cars amid heat wave
San Diego hits longest heat wave in 34 years
This Summer’s Heat Wave Put 100 Million Americans at Risk and It’s Only Getting Worse
Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United States and Mexico
Heat wave brings early harvest for Valley farmers
Weatherwatch: insurers braced for subsidence claims after heatwave
Crashed WWII plane thawed by heatwave after 72 years
The disturbing reason heat waves can kill people in cooler climates
Tropics face massive rise in heatwave deaths
Number of “marine heat waves” roughly doubled between 1982 and 2016, study finds
Oceans are suffering from heat waves too
This Heat Wave Will Never End: Are We Trapped in The Wheel of Time’s “Endless Summer”?
Is it time to stop discussing the heatwave and start talking about climate change?
This Summer’s Heat Waves Could Be the Strongest Climate Signal Yet
NHS faces ‘summer crisis’ as heatwave sees record numbers at A and E
What Employers Can Learn From The Heatwave About Work Flexibility
Shocking Global Map Shows the Extent of a Global Heat Wave
Europe’s heat wave uncovers a hidden past
Earth’s greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level reach all-time high last year
2018 will be fourth-hottest year on record, climate scientists predict
Category:2018 heat waves (Wikipedia)
Climate Change Is Cooking the Oceans
CO2 Levels Reached an 800,000-year High in 2017
Extreme temperatures ‘especially likely for next four years’
The Global Heatwave Is About to Hit Your Wallet
Extreme global weather is ‘the face of climate change’ says leading scientist
Fire and water: July’s global weather extremes – in pictures
Heatwave continues to put pressure on businesses, individuals alike
How Climate Change Contributed to This Summer’s Wildfires
Climate Change: We’re Not Literally Doomed, but…
The rate of Antarctic melting has nearly tripled in the past five years
Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change
A claim-by-claim analysis of a climate denial ‘news’ story
Climate change denial won’t even benefit oil companies soon
Ryan Zinke insists California wildfires have nothing to do with climate change. Experts disagree.
Climate change fuelling heatwaves, “experts” warn
Diary of a sweaty climate change sceptic
Sea level rise ‘overblown,’ solar energy ‘dumb,’ climate change deniers tell forum
Was this the heatwave that finally ended climate denial?
Study shows heat wave converting is some climate change deniers
Could Climate Change Destroy the Bloody Mary?
Heatwave made more than twice as likely by climate change, scientists find
Climate change multiplies harmful marine heatwaves
Climate change risks ‘devastating tsunamis’ causing havoc across globe, experts warn
6 surprising side effects of this year’s global heatwave
Sik, Kuala Krai and Beluran on heatwave alert
Searching for Language to Capture How Climate Change Has Altered Our World
Climate change means the last call of Missouri songbirds
Germany’s winemakers cope with climate change by breeding new grapes
Report: Climate Change Could Impact Everything from Baseball Games to Beaches
The country most vulnerable to climate change fights back
UK ‘woefully unprepared’ for deadly heatwaves, warn MPs
Why being a philosopher in the heatwave is so particularly unbearable
Slavoj Zizek: Words fail when real heat takes over
Could Climate Change Destroy the Bloody Mary?
City urges a break from sex to fight heat wave
