Searing temperatures in Mexico have resulted in the deaths of over 100 individuals in the month of June, according to a government statement, as the country has been hit by a series of heatwaves.
Scientists assert that global warming is exacerbating extreme weather conditions worldwide, leading to many countries grappling with soaring temperatures.
The health ministry released figures on Wednesday, revealing that nearly 1,000 heat-related emergencies were reported in Mexico between June 12 and 25, with 104 of them resulting in fatalities.
Additionally, authorities had previously reported eight deaths between April 14 and May 31, bringing the total death toll to 112.
The cause of these deaths was primarily attributed to heat stroke, followed by dehydration, as stated by the health ministry.
The northern regions of Mexico, particularly the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon with 64 deaths and neighboring Tamaulipas with 19 deaths, reported the highest number of fatalities.
The health ministry highlighted that this week, the northwestern state of Sonora recorded a maximum temperature of 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), and the average maximum temperatures during the summer in Mexico fluctuate between 30 and 45 degrees Celsius.
The European Union’s climate monitoring unit, in a statement on June 15, declared that preliminary global average temperatures at the beginning of June were the highest on record for that period.
A report from Copernicus, the EU’s observation agency, indicated a significant global increase in temperature during the first week of June this year. The report cited ERA5 data, which revealed that the temperature breached a 1.5 degree Celsius increase compared to pre-industrial times in the first few days of the month.
The report suggested that this breach of high temperature might be the first time it has occurred in the industrial era. The report emphasized that “global-mean surface air temperatures for the first days of June 2023 were the highest in the ERA5 data record for early June by a substantial margin,” with the data collection dating back to 1950.
Furthermore, the temperature recorded in early June was nearly one degree Celsius higher than previously recorded levels for the same month in 1979. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), stated, “The world has just experienced its warmest early June on record, following a month of May that was less than 0.1°C cooler than the warmest May on record.”
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