Record Heat Stresses N. Hemisphere Grids

Editor’s note. A week ago, I received a note from a CleanTechnica writer in the Philippines, “Good day! (Hot day from here, we’re sizzling at 107°F (42°C). Tomorrow I will try cooking an egg under the sun. :D.” Droughts in East Africa continue to intensify due to climate change — in areas that do not contribute to climate change. Here’s more on the crisis we’re facing.

Record heat across Europe and Asia augurs peril for electrical grids across the Northern Hemisphere. Portugal, Spain, and Morocco all broke April heat records on Thursday, with Córdoba, in south-central Spain, breaking the European April record with a high of 101.8°F (38.8°C). Drought in the region is forcing 80,000 people in Córdoba province to rely on trucked deliveries of drinking water, and French authorities have mobilized wildfire-fighting operations a month earlier than usual.

Scorching and it is only April. Heatwave in North Africa and Iberia is shattering records by large margins.

Córdoba airport in Spain 🇪🇸 just recorded 38.7°C, pulverizing previous monthly record by nearly 5°C. This provisionally breaks the European hottest temperature in April. pic.twitter.com/CKGcMTKlR2

— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) April 27, 2023

Meanwhile, “endless record heat in south-east Asia, with weeks of records falling every day,” as described to The Guardian by climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, is pushing electricity consumption to new heights as people try to keep cool.

Iberian Heat Wave:
Fierce heat today moved East as expected with "poniente" winds :
36.9C at Rojales (Valencian Community).
35.0C Alicante
33.9C Malaga AP record again

Balearic Islands 33.7C at Lucmaior after the 30.7C recorded yesterday at Palma AP. pic.twitter.com/gVJoHhL3qf

— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) April 29, 2023

Another Record hot day in Algeria and Tunisia with up to 43C at Ouellane.
Main Monthly records beaten:

ALGERIA
41.2 Tindouf
37.5 Bechar

TUNISIA
37.8 Beja
37.8 Jendouba
36.4 Siliana
34.7 Bizerte
El Kef
31.3 Thala (1091m asl) pic.twitter.com/a8vE67CTrK

— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) April 29, 2023

Meanwhile, in Texas, the state legislature has found time to further ostracize trans people and cut them off from obtaining medical care and debate even more ways to restrict abortion access, but with just one month left in this year’s legislative session has done nothing to address the persistent inadequacy of the state’s coal- and gas-fired electricity capacity.

THIS IS NOT A NATURAL CYCLE – "Spain recorded its hottest ever temperature for April on Thursday, hitting 38.7C according to the country's meteorological service. The record figure was reached in Cordoba airport in southern Spain just after 17:00 local time (16:00 BST)" pic.twitter.com/kxystCO1Fa

— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) April 27, 2023

Main text courtesy of Nexus Media, Sources (Power grids: Bloomberg $; European heat: Washington Post $, The Guardian; Trucked water: Reuters; French firefighters: Reuters; Asian heat: The Guardian; Texas: Forbes $)

Featured photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash