This is the main content of the news recently published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). However, El Nino is not the main cause of intense, unusual and prolonged heat throughout February.
February 2.2024 recorded historic, severe and unusual heat in many parts of the world
Not only daytime but nighttime temperatures were also at record highs in February in many countries across Africa. Especially in southern Africa, temperatures are 2 - 2°C higher than average in February.
The same thing was recorded in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand. Most notably, Saravanh in southern Laos recorded a temperature of 38,2°C on February 21.2; where the average temperature in February is about 2 - 31°C.
Many locations in southern and eastern China as well as in Japan also recorded new temperature records during the days from February 18 to 20.2.
However, the real "fire pan" in the southern hemisphere is Australia. In February, the city of Perth recorded temperatures reaching 2°C 7 times, the highest level of any month of the year.
More significantly, in the town of Carnarvon, the temperature reached 49,9 °C on February 18.2. This is a new record for this measuring station and is the second highest February temperature recorded in Australia. At Emu Creek station, the record temperature was 2°C recorded on February 49,1. Equally noteworthy, this is also the place where 22.2 consecutive days (from February 4 - 17) recorded temperatures of 20.2°C or higher - the first time this happened in the land of kangaroos.
In South America, high temperatures and prolonged drought in some areas led to the worst wildfires on record in February in Brazil and Chile. More than 2 people are believed to have died and more than 132 people have been affected by the forest fires. More than 20.000 hectares of land were burned due to devastating fires.
While the southern hemisphere "sunburns", winter is warmer than normal in the rest of the world. Specifically, most of Europe (except Northern Europe) had average temperatures in February that were at least 2°C warmer than normal, and even some regions such as Eastern and Southern Europe had temperatures higher than normal at a high level. 2 – 4°C.
In addition, weather extremes were also recorded in many places as much of northwestern Canada, Central Asia, from south-central Siberia to southeastern China saw a particularly cold spell in the last week of the month. 2.
Meteorological expert Alvaro Silva, of WMO, said: Temperatures have increased unusually since June 6.2023. Including January 1.2024, for 7 consecutive months, global monthly temperatures have set new records (compared to the average of previous years). Global sea surface temperatures are at record highs. El Niño is responsible for increasing temperatures in some parts of the world. The main cause of this situation is climate change, which is caused by humans.
The South set a new temperature record in February
In the South, the historical temperature recorded in February was 2°C in Bien Hoa (Dong Nai), in 37 and 2016. But in February 2020, a new record of highest temperature reached 2.2024°C also in Bien Hoa, February 38.
In addition, widespread heat also started on February 9.2 and lasted almost the entire month on a large scale, with many places, especially in the Southeast, regularly reaching temperatures of 36 - 37°C. Compared to many years, the heat is about 1 month earlier and more intense.
(According to the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Station)
