R ECOR D -BR EAKING HEAT

Year after year in the 21st century, we’re seeing unprecedented temperatures — with nine of the 10 hottest years on record happening since 2000. And as the Earth warms from ever-rising carbon-dioxide levels, the temperatures grow increasingly extreme, with deadly consequences.

Churu, India

HIGHEST TEMP 123ºF

Churu, a city of more than 100,000 in the desert west of New Delhi, was the epicenter of a brutal heat wave that swept through northern India in early June. City officials had to pour water on roads to prevent them from melting. People were advised not to go outside after 11 a.m., and doctors canceled vacations to care for heat-stressed residents. Early estimates put the national death toll above 200 people, but that number is likely to grow.

Anchorage, Alaska

HIGHEST TEMP 90ºF

On July 4th, temperatures in Anchorage hit an all-time high, breaking the previous record by 5°F. The city canceled Independence Day fireworks out of fear they could spark wildfires, which have been raging through the Arctic on an unprecedented scale this season. Sea-ice cover in the nearby Bering Sea was the lowest on record, and recent marine heat waves have contributed to unusually high mortality rates in whales and other Arctic species.

Gallargues-le-Montueux, France

HIGHEST TEMP 114.6ºF

June 28th was the hottest day in French history, with the town of Gallargues-le-Montueux in southern France clocking the highest temperature. Paris broke its own record in July, reaching 108.6°F. In 2003, a heat wave killed 15,000 people in France. To avoid repeating that disaster, officials installed temporary water fountains and portable pools in Parisian neighborhoods and distributed 5,000 water bottles to the homeless.

San Francisco

HIGHEST TEMP 100ºF

San Francisco is known for cool, breezy summer days.

Not this year. In early June, a heat wave roasted the West Coast, pushing the temp to 100°F in San Francisco during the hottest June on record. Commuter train tracks warped in the heat, and blackouts left thousands of Bay Area residents without power. Temperature records were broken throughout the state, with Salinas reaching 105°F, and the town of Thermal, near San Diego, reaching 113°F.

Alert, Nunavut, Canada

HIGHEST TEMP 70ºF

Alert is the northernmost settlement in the world, about 500 miles from the North Pole, a land of ice and polar bears and military bases. In mid-July, the temperature hit a beachy 70°F, the highest ever recorded there; it usually averages about 44°F in July. “It’s really quite spectacular — this is unprecedented,” said David Phillips, chief climatologist for Environment Canada, who added, “Our models for the rest of the summer are saying, ‘Get used to it.’ ”