By: Amanda Yang

Last weekend, America, France, Portugal, India, Spain, and Pakistan witnessed heat waves, possibly due to climate change. These heat waves dramatically raised temperatures in these areas, which affected the people living in those places, by having them struggle in the heat.

In America, places like Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada, who are in the southwest and west, where the heat waves began, started getting heat waves. Nowadays, even states that are more Northern like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are getting affected by heat waves. The places where the heat waves began got temperatures higher than 100°F, or 38°C.

Almost ⅓ of all Americans suffer from dangerous heat waves, so large cities have the government set up “Cooling Centers” for people who want to escape the heat for a while. The US national weather service, also known as NWC, advises that if you live in the areas affected by heat waves, it is recommended you should stay inside if it’s not necessary that you must go outside.

Besides America, a lot of countries are being affected by the heat waves and France, Portugal, and Spain are getting the worst of it. In some areas of Spain, the temperatures have already reached 109º Fahrenheit, and in parts of Southern France the temperatures have risen by 31º Fahrenheit already.

Though these areas are the hottest, Pakistan is the most unfortunate. Pakistan not only gets heat waves, but also gets power cuts. Due to the war with Ukraine and Russia, Pakistan has a fuel shortage, leading to blackouts that last up to 12 hours, making it hard to cool down due to people not being able to use fans and air conditioners.

India has also been getting harsh treatment from Mother Nature, having survived 6 heat waves at their capital. The worst of the heat waves reached 120ºF, or 49ºC, and their coolest temperature was 90ºF, or 31.6ºC. Most of India is starting to cool down, though the more Northern parts of India and Pakistan are still having heat waves. Even though it’s already cooled down in New Delhi, capital of India, which is on the South side, there are still really high temperatures, such as 111ºF, or 43.7ºC.

But, there is good news, since rain is soon coming to these dry areas, which should cool down the temperature for a while. This is amazing news for especially farmers, who have had their crops shrivel in the dry conditions of the heat waves.