Climate scientist warns US heat wave reflects long-term shift, not a summer anomaly

A climate scientist at Texas Tech University said the heat wave affecting the United States is not a temporary summer anomaly but reflects a long-term shift toward more frequent, longer and more intense heat waves. Catherine Heyhoe said summers across the United States, North America and the world are warming noticeably, that the heat-wave season is lengthening and that the waves are far more severe than in the past. Heyhoe, who is also chief scientist at the Climate Central research group, said current conditions cannot be compared with earlier decades and that the heat waves cannot be treated as ordinary summer weather. In recent weeks, extreme heat and storms have strained infrastructure across the United States. New York City recorded a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius on Thursday, with reports that asphalt melted on some streets. Independence Day celebrations in several East Coast cities were cancelled because of the heat. On Saturday, severe heat and storms left at least 840,000 households without electricity.