If you don’t live in the Southwestern United States, or any of the places worldwide that have been experiencing an entire month of an extended extreme heat wave, it can be impossible to imagine.
“It has been a wild summer,” said Hazel Chandler, Arizona Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, who lives in Phoenix. “I am in the middle of hell right now. We had 119 yesterday, and it’s probably going to be that again today. That’s 15 days over 115 degrees.”
July is on track to be the hottest month globally since record-keeping began in 1850. As Chandler’s weather continuously breaks all previous records daily, she’s been getting creative about time spent outdoors, like taking walks at 6 AM. Even then, the temperature hovers around 100; overnight temperatures have also been setting records. Chandler has lost count how of many days it has been since it was below 90.
“It’s difficult for everyone. All of us are at risk for heat exhaustion and heat-related illnesses. I am older and have a lot of health issues. Just walking to the parking lot, the heat causes pain and burning where I have a back fusion,” she said. Everyone Chandler knows is feeling exhausted. “Our bodies aren’t designed to deal with heat.”
After so many weeks of excessive temperatures, mainstream news outlets have been flooded with stories detailing how the world’s increasing heat impacts human bodies. Extreme heat exposure can cause the exhaustion Chandler feels as well as heat stroke. It has also been linked to increased hospital admissions for respiratory and heart problems. Chandler says hospital admissions locally far exceed what they were in the worst days of COVID. Many people are in the ER for burns from contact with the pavement, which can get up to 180 degrees. “It takes seconds to get third degree burns,” she noted.
Chandler has lived in Arizona for a long time. She’s deeply familiar with heat. But the intensity and duration of this heat wave—the entire month of July!—is unlike anything she has ever experienced. “It really wears on you,” she said.
A new study from World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists who measure how much climate change influences extreme weather events, states the obvious: summer 2023’s extreme heat, especially in the region where Chandler lives but also in Southern Europe and northern Mexico, would be “virtually impossible” without climate change. They also predict extreme heat waves like this will happen more frequently.
In an effort to help communities contend with living in extreme heat, President Biden announced new measures at the end of July, including protections for workers and funding for better weather prediction. The announcement came the same day the heat wave scorching Chandler brought 100-degree heat to the Midwest. The East Coast is said to be next in line.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, Chandler has her own coping techniques for when she leaves home for work, doctors appointments, and grocery shopping: “I carry a sock in my purse that I put over my hand so I can hold the hand rail coming down from my condo. It helps.” She has a steering wheel specifically designed to stay cooler but it still gets too hot to touch.
Chandler has no similar hack for her dying patio garden, even though it usually survives hot Arizona summers. “I can’t keep it watered enough. I am down to two basil plants and one Swiss chard. Everything else is just fried.” The trees are also unwell. On a local Facebook group dedicated to backyard gardening, Chandler’s neighbors are seeking help for distressed citrus and fig trees.
Stuck indoors where her air conditioner struggles to keep the temperature around 80, Chandler worries about outdoor workers. In the US, they are up to 35 times more likely to die from heat exposure than the general population. Hispanic or Latino individuals are disproportionately represented in the outdoor workforce, which includes farm workers, construction workers, first responders, and utility workers. In Phoenix, some outdoor workers now start as early as 4 AM to avoid the worst heat of the day.
Chandler also feels for moms with little kids kept inside for safety; she’s a mom, grandmother, and a great-grandmother. “Can you imagine?” she asked.
As Chandler drinks tons of water and puts some out for local wildlife, including birds (by noon it evaporates), she’s dreaming of October, when the weather should be better.
“Maybe mid-October,” she said, hopefully.