By SETH BORENSTEIN, SUMAN NAISHADHAM, SIBI ARASU and FABIANO MAISONNAVE (Associated Press)
Brazil experienced its worst-ever flooding that killed dozens of people and paralyzed a city of about 4 million. In India, the world’s largest election, voters and politicians are fainting in heat that reached as high as 115 degrees (46.3 degrees Celsius).
A brutal heat wave in Asia has resulted in closed schools in the Philippines, deaths in Thailand, and record temperatures in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Myanmar. Record temperatures, especially at night when it remains hot, have affected many parts of Africa. Houston was devastated by flooding, and the United States as a whole has had its second highest number of tornadoes for the month of April.
In a world that is becoming increasingly familiar with extreme weather swings, the last few days and weeks have seen these environmental extremes reach a new level. Some climate scientists say they can hardly remember a time when so much of the world's weather has been so extreme at the same time.
“Given that we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in global warmth over the last 11 months, it is not surprising to see worsening climate extremes so early in the year,” said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck. “If this record pace of warming continues, 2024 will likely be a record year of climate disasters and human suffering.”
When the world is warmer, it is likely to experience more extreme weather and climate events, including record heat and rainfall, scientists say. And climate change is also altering weather patterns, causing rainy and hot systems to linger over areas and the jet stream to meander, said Alvaro Silva, a climate scientist at the World Meteorological Organization.
In addition to the stronger effects of human-caused climate change, a weakening El Nino — a natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that influences global weather — has followed a three-year period of La Nina, its cool counterpart, Silva said.
Scientists also pointed to 13 consecutive months of record-high ocean temperatures as a potential factor.
While several factors contribute to these extremes, “climate change is the most important one,” Silva said.
The problem is that the world has adapted to and built cities for 20th century temperatures and rainfall, but climate change has brought more heat and heavy rains, said Andrew Dessler, a Texas A&M University climate scientist.
“We’re leaving the climate of the 20th century behind right now, and we simply can’t handle these events,” Dessler said. “So they’re becoming slightly more extreme, but they're surpassing our ability to handle them.”
Texas Tech climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy, said more extremes in more places are overlapping.
“Climate change is increasing the likelihood of many weather extremes and the risk of compound events in every part of the world,” Hayhoe said.
Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera reported that during the first five days of May, 70 countries or territories experienced record-breaking heat.
According to Herrera, Nandyala and Kadapa in India’s Andhra Pradesh state reached a record high at 115 degrees (46.3 Celsius).
A federal minister named Nitin Gadkari collapsed while campaigning in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Friederike Otto, a climate scientist, stated earlier this week that heatwaves in India are the most deadly extreme weather events and are intensifying in a warming world.
In Southeast Asia, there was the hottest May night ever, according to Herrera's post on X (formerly Twitter). Some parts of Thailand did not fall below 87.6 degrees (30.9 Celsius).
At the end of April, northern Thailand experienced 111 degrees (44 Celsius), while Chauk township in Myanmar’s hottest region recorded 118.8 degrees (48.2 Celsius).
Many African nations are also experiencing intense heat. Herrera mentioned that the temperature reached 117.5 degrees (47.5 Celsius) in Kayes, Mali. Additionally, the capitals of Niger and Burkina Faso had their hottest nights on record. In Chad, temperatures were expected to remain above 114 degrees (45.6 Celsius) throughout the week.
The deadly heat wave The deadly heat wave that affected West Africa last month was attributed to human-caused climate change by scientists at the World Weather Attribution group.
Herrera reported that Mexico’s Ciudad Altamirano approached 115 degrees (46 Celsius) with record heat across Latin America. Bolivia experienced its hottest May night on record, and Brazil had its hottest day in May.
Climatologist Francisco Aquino from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul stated that the extreme heat in Brazil prevented a rainstorm from reaching the country’s south, leading to fatal consequences.
Aquino explained that there was a significant influx of humidity from the Amazon’s 'flying rivers' that carry water vapor, which resulted in extreme rainfall and cloud formation.
The Southern State of Rio Grande do Sul is dealing with the most severe flood on record, with at least 90 fatalities, nearly 204,000 displaced individuals, and 388 affected municipalities, according to local authorities.
In Porto Alegre, a metropolitan area with over 4.4 million inhabitants, downtown, the international airport, and several neighborhoods were submerged by the waters. Authorities stated that it will take days for the water level to go down.
Houston is still attempting to recover from days of heavy rainfall that necessitated the rescue of over 600 people from flooding across Texas, including 233 individuals in Houston. Approximately 23 inches (58 centimeters) fell just northeast of Houston.
During April, the United Arab Emirates experienced the heaviest rains ever recorded, leading to flooding on major highways and at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international travel.
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Borenstein and Naishadham reported from Washington, Arasu from Bengaluru, India, and Maisonnave from Brasilia, Brazil.
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Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
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Follow Seth Borenstein on X at @borenbears, Suman Naishadham at @SumanNaishadham and Sibi Arasu at @sibi123
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