The US southwest is already suffering from heat waves that are expected to spread to other parts of thecountry this coming week.
The scorching heatwave that has swept the US south-east in recent weeks will soon spread to the country’s midwest and north-east regions, affecting nearly 250 million Americans.
Temperatures are stuck at 90F (32C) or above for at least the next week in much of the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted. The NWS defines a heatwave as a period of temperatures exceeding 90F for two or more days, and this one could last until 26 June.
The NWS said: “The first heatwave of the summer begins Sunday over the middle of the nation, before spreading to the midwest and to the north-east by Tuesday then lasting most of next week,” with temperatures expected to approach 105F and break records, with very warm nights.
Parts of Florida have set record high temperatures.
There have been 4 new high temperature daily records set in the past 10 days, 5 new daily heat index records in the past 5 days, and as shown here, there have been 6 new daily high dewpoint records set in the past 9 days.https://t.co/7muPgS5u3s
[2/2] pic.twitter.com/MU2f4esbqh— Brian McNoldy (@BMcNoldy) May 20, 2024
This was back in May, long before the start of summer, when the weather in Florida should be mild, Other parts of Florida are currently experiencing torrential rain leading to heavy flooding.
But Florida governor Ron DeSantis has decreed that extreme weather patterns cannot be ascribed to climate change.
As the state grapples with extreme weather, the Republican governor in May signed legislation that erases references to the climate crisis from state law.
“We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots,” DeSantis wrote on X. The legislation will take effect on 1 July.
South Florida has also suffered under the scorching sun recently as record-high temperatures came early,
Nevertheless, DeSantis signed a law prohibiting any municipalities in the state from passing heat-protection requirements for workers, such as employers being obliged to provide water and shade.
By erasing all references to climate change in state law and refusing to do anything to mitigate the heat, DeSantis has solved the climate crisis in his state with just a stroke of his pen.
larpar says
Well, it worked for the sexual orientation that can’t be mentioned. /s
Matt G says
Thank god for Ron turning problems that don’t exist into problems that don’t exist. Meanwhile, I read that 80% of Floridians accept that climate change is real. I sure hope Ron doesn’t ask for federal assistance….
raven says
This is something George Orwell would recognize.
The Florida Ministry of Truth has rewritten history to eliminate climate change.
They did the same thing during the Covid-19 virus pandemic.
Florida made huge efforts to not count how many of their residents died of the virus.
I guess if you don’t count them, then they aren’t really dead, and the pandemic isn’t happening.
Strangely enough, DeSantis was elected by a majority of Florida voters and is still a popular governor.
Pierce R. Butler says
raven @ # 3: Strangely enough, DeSantis … is still a popular governor.
If you saw the absolute lameness, blandness, corporate subjugation, and cowardice of most Florida media, you’d not wonder any further. (To be fair, Tampa Bay Times seems the best of the lot.)
outis says
That’s really cute. But like R.Feynman once said, nature can’t be fooled -- or in this case, legislated away.
https://sealevel.climatecentral.org/news/floria-and-the-rising-sea
in this particular case, it looks like suicide. Go figure.
Robbo says
“Reality has a well known liberal bias.”
--Stephen Colbert,
2006 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
jenorafeuer says
As people have noted before, large chunks of downtown Miami are… well, parts of it are below sea-level already and the average elevation is only about five meters above sea level. And Miami is built on porous limestone, so water can just go under any sea wall that gets built. ‘White Flight’ isn’t the only reason that anybody with money has already moved out of the city core.
The insurance industry has already long-since figured out that significant parts of Florida are pretty much uninsurable in the long term.
Everybody in positions of power, even DeSantis, knows (or at least should know) that this is a doom that is coming. They just all figure they can protect themselves and move somewhere safer, and the poor people who’ll get flooded don’t matter.