What is the “heating dome” that causes dozens of deaths in Canada | The consequences of global warming

Historic heat wave hits Canada and worries the authorities and the population, because has already caused the death of more than a hundred people. In a country with average temperatures of 25 degrees during the summer, in recent days the thermometer has exceeded 49 degrees. But what causes this phenomenon? Meteorologists explained that these unprecedented weather conditions are caused by a “heat dome”, What it affects western Canada and parts of the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

A heated dome is an unofficial term given to an area of ​​warm air elevated to the atmosphere that remains over an area for an extended period of time, trapping the heat underneath.

“Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense as greenhouse gas concentrations raise global temperatures. They start earlier and end later, and they put more and more strain on human health and health systems ”, warned the World Meteorological Organization based in Geneva.

Vancouver, a Canadian city located on the Pacific coast, has had temperatures above 30 degrees for several days, against 21 on average which usually exist on these dates. For its part The city of Lytton, 250 km northeast of Vancouver, on Tuesday broke the record for the highest temperature recorded in Canada, with 49.5 degrees, according to the weather service.

Meanwhile, in the Whistler ski resort north of Vancouver, the thermometer reached 42 degrees. For its part the Ministry of the Environment warned that “the duration of this heat wave is worrying, since there is hardly any respite at night”.

In addition to British Columbia, the province in which Vancouver is located, advisories have also been issued for the easternmost provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as parts of the Yukon and of the Northwest Territories in northern Canada.

Air conditioners and fans are scarce in the area. Faced with this scenario, cities have opened special places for citizens to cool off. In addition, the authorities have suspended vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 and declared the closure of certain schools.

Sudden deaths

In Vancouver, the police department reported that at least 130 people have died since Friday. Most of these deaths these were older people or people with underlying health problems.

“Vancouver has never experienced heat like this and unfortunately dozens of people are dying of it. “Police Sgt. Steve Addison said in a press release.

He also announced that he had to relocate dozens of officers to help citizens in extreme conditions and urged the population not to dial 911 except in an emergency.

“Our agents are on edge, but we always do our best to keep people safe“he added.

Extreme temperatures linked to climate change

Climatologists explained that global warming has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heat waves.

“We know that this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to heat episodes “said Armel Castellan, spokesperson for the Canadian meteorological agency. “We had to wait for this and wait for more“, a point.

In this sense, he clarified that the domino effects of an extreme event like this one are “massive”. Hot, dry conditions have already increased the risk of wildfires in western Canada to extreme levels and extremely rapid snowmelt puts communities at risk of flash flooding. .