Photos: Extreme weather surges around the world
The first two weeks of July have seen a striking surge of wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, and drought across the globe. Tornadoes have hit Denver, Chicago and Boston, while five people – including two children – died after being swept away by flash flooding in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke cities in the Northeast, while a massive swath of states in the southern half of the country remain under heat warnings.
The extreme weather is not isolated to the U.S. Much of Europe has been afflicted by a heat wave named Cerberus, the multi-headed dog that guards the underworld of Greek myth. Spain, Switzerland, Lebanon, and Greece are also battling wildfires. India, Pakistan, and Japan have been hit by devastating floods and landslides, and people are being forced to ration water due to a drought in Costa Rica.
Patrick Semansky / AP
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 16: In an aerial view, a billboard displays the temperature that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit on July 16, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. A persistent heat dome over Texas that has expanded to California, Nevada and Arizona is subjecting millions of Americans to excessive heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Gail Burton / AP
Satya Soviet Patnaik shields himself from the sun while waiting in line to take a photo at the historic Welcome to Las Vegas Sign during a heat wave in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 14, 2023. Climate scientists are sounding alarm about the impact of human-caused global warming, and warning 2023 is on track to be the warmest since records began. Global surface temperatures have increased by about 2F (1.1C) since 1880, making extreme heat more frequent. Extreme heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the United States, according to official data, with the elderly, the very young, people with mental illness and chronic diseases at highest risk. (Photo by Ronda Churchill / AFP) (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)Gerry Melendez, McClatchy-Tribune
Gabriel Ambrus de Moraes, 29, (L) is photographed by his twin brother Pedro, both of Los Angeles, as he stands next to a digital display of an unofficial heat reading at Furnace Creek Visitor Center during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16, 2023. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures Sunday as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. By the afternoon of July 15, 2023, California’s famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, had reached a sizzling 124F (51C), with Sunday’s peak predicted to soar as high as 129F (54C). Even overnight lows there could exceed 100F (38C). (Photo by Ronda Churchill / AFP) (Photo by RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)Jacob Langston / Orlando Sentinel
Residents cool off in the Liz Carpenter Splash Pad at Butler Park on July 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas, during a heat wave. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures Sunday, July 16, as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP) (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)Phelan M. Ebenhack, Special to the Sentinel
MIAMI, FLORIDA – JUNE 27: Giacarlo Martinez and his dog Bakkhos stay cool in Biscayne Bay on June 27, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Hot summer weather is hitting a large part of the Southern United States. Officials are stressing the importance of avoiding heat exhaustion or heat stroke in dangerous temperatures. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune
Smoke from a wildfire is seen in the distance near Sheraton (west of Fraser Lake), British Colombia, Canada, taken from a passenger train on the Prince George – Prince Rupert line on July 10, 2023. The number of forest fires continues to rise in Canada, climbing on July 7, 2023, to more than 670 blazes — more than 380 of them out of control — with a long and difficult summer ahead. With nine million hectares (22.2 million acres) already gone up in smoke — 11 times the average for the last decade — the absolute annual record set in 1989 has been surpassed. (Photo by Ulysse BELLIER / AFP) (Photo by ULYSSE BELLIER/AFP via Getty Images)Rob Carr / Getty Images
MONTPELIER, VERMONT – JULY 11: Main Street is flooded on July 11, 2023 in Montpelier, Vermont. Up to eight inches of rain fell over 48 hours and residents were warned that Wrightsville Dam could reach capacity, forcing it to release more water that could impact the downtown area. (Photo by Kylie Cooper/Getty Images)Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune
MONTPELIER, VERMONT – JULY 11: People kayak up and down the flooded waters of Elm Street on July 11, 2023 in Montpelier, Vermont. Up to eight inches of rain fell over 48 hours and residents were warned that Wrightsville Dam could reach capacity, forcing it to release more water that could impact the downtown area. (Photo by Kylie Cooper/Getty Images)Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune
Workers remove mud from Main street after heavy rains in Highland Falls, New York, on July 10, 2023. The northeastern United States was inundated July 10, 2023, with heavy rain and flooding across several states a day after storms and flash floods washed out highways and killed one person in New York state. Heavy rains in New York state on July 9, 2023, turned streets into raging waterways, washing out bridges, leaving roads impassable and leading Governor Kathy Hochul to declare states of emergency in two counties. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
Storm damage is seen near Flagg Creek Drive and 72nd Street in the village of Indian Head Park on July 13, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune
HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLORADO – JUNE 22: Jim Heckman, Leslie Heckman, and Shelley Chandler clean up branches after a tree in their yard fell during a tornado that swept through Highlands Ranch, Colo., on Thursday, June 22, 2023. The tornado touched the ground, causing damage, but no injuries. (Photo by Grace Smith/The Denver Post)Phelan M. Ebenhack, Special to the Sentinel
A man washes dishes with water collected due to water rationing in San Jose on July 12, 2023. Costa Rican authorities carried out this week a rationing of the drinking water supply that affects more than 275,000 people in the metropolitan area of the capital, reported the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA). (Photo by Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP) (Photo by EZEQUIEL BECERRA/AFP via Getty Images)David Banks / AP
This photograph taken on July 18, 2023 shows smoke rising from the La Caldera de Taburiente National Park, as a forest fire that began on July 15 has destroyed 4,000 hectares of land, on the Canary Island of La Palma. Spain issued hot weather red alerts for three regions due to the “extreme” danger posed by scorching temperatures as firefighters made gains in their battle against a blaze raging in the Canary Islands. Some 400 firefighters backed by nine water-dropping aircraft were battling a wildfire raging since July 15 in wooded, hilly terrain on the island of La Palma, one of the eight making up the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP) (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images)Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
A Border Collie called “Pipi” walks on a cracked riverbed due to the drought on July 10, 2023 in Velez Blanco, near Almeria. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP) (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images)Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Dead spruce trees suffering from drought stress are pictured in a forest near Hagen, western Germany, on July 12, 2023. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press
People cool off with water fountains in Strasbourg, eastern France, as a heat wave hits France on July 11, 2023. For the third month running, around two-thirds of France’s water tables remain below seasonal normals, fuelling drought and threatening water supplies. A situation that is unlikely to improve as the summer heat settles over the country. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)Phelan M. Ebenhack, Special to the Sentinel
A fire blazes on a hillside in Lebanon’s southern town of Ibl al-Saqi early on July 14, 2023 during a heat wave. (Photo by Ali DIA / AFP) (Photo by ALI DIA/AFP via Getty Images)Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune
A worker cools off while working in a street during a heatwave in Sevilla, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, on July 17, 2023. Scorching weather gripped three continents, whipping up wildfires and threatening to topple temperature records as the dire consequences of global warming take shape. Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where the met agency warned of a new heatwave on July 17 through July 19 taking temperatures above 40C in the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)Phelan M. Ebenhack, Special to the Sentinel
A flood-affected man dries his corns on a rooftop near the flooded area of Sutlej river on the outskirts of Kasur on July 18, 2023. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP) (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)Charles King / Orlando Sentinel
TOPSHOT – This photograph taken on July 18, 2023 shows flooded banks of river Yamuna along the Taj Mahal in Agra. Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India’s treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. (Photo by Pawan SHARMA / AFP) (Photo by PAWAN SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune
TOPSHOT – People wade through the flood waters of swollen river Yamuna in Mathura on July 16, 2023. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)Phelan M. Ebenhack, Special to the Sentinel
This aerial picture shows a general view of a landslide site in the city of Karatsu, Saga prefecture on July 11, 2023, a day after heavy rains hit wide areas of Kyushu island. At least two people were killed in torrential rain in southwest Japan on July 10, with fears the toll could rise, as tens of thousands of residents were told to evacuate their homes. (Photo by Harumi OZAWA / AFP) (Photo by HARUMI OZAWA/AFP via Getty Images)Contributing: Getty Images, Denver Post, Chicago Tribune