The big heatwave: from Algeria to the Arctic. But what’s the cause? (Trump?)

theguardian.com ^ | 7/22/2018 | Robin McKie

[rktman]

Across much of the northern hemisphere, intense and prolonged heatwaves have triggered disruption and devastation as North America, the Arctic, northern Europe and Africa have sweltered in record-breaking temperatures. In Africa, a weather station at Ouargla, Algeria, in the Sahara desert, recorded a temperature of 51.3C, the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Africa. In Japan, where temperatures have reached more than 40C, people were last week urged to take precautions after the death toll reached 30 with thousands more having sought hospital treatment for heat-related conditions. And in California increased use of air conditioning units, switched on to counter the scorching conditions there, has led to power shortages.

[grobdriver]

But what’s the cause?

Summer!

[Noumenon]

From an old George Carlin routine,

The forecast: dark, continued mostly dark tonight, turning to widely scattered light in the morning...

[caww]

The big heatwave: from Algeria to the Arctic. But what’s the cause?

[rktman]

Can’t tell. Too much glare from something in the picture.

[Jack Hammer]

What’s the cause?

It’s summer. It gets hot sometimes...

[DoughtyOne]

LOL, he was on the right track there.

[SamAdams76]

Summer = Hot

Winter = Cold

[BeAllYouCanBe]

I thought we were in a solar minimum and this was also a 206 year solar cycle and that things on Earth would be very cool in 2018. I heard this when we had a very cool Spring in most of the USA.

Just wondering on how I can answer lib relatives that I have been telling we are getting cooler due to the lack of sun spots.

[trebb]

51.3C is a little over 124F - back in the ‘80s I saw 118 in SW Oklahoma.....notice they never balance these record highs out by telling us the offsetting places with record lows.....