Currently much is being reported on extreme heat reaching from North Africa to Europe. In some places in Morocco and Spain, new temperature records for May have been set.
However, it’s worth taking a look at the whole world, because in addition to regions that are clearly too warm, there are also the exact opposite. They’re marked with yellow on this overview from Climatereanalyzer.
Image: Screenshot Climatereanalyer.org
For example, the U.S. state of Colorado recorded snow in May, as reported by the Denver Post.
Brazil is also experiencing unusual cold. Mercopress reports record cold for the capital Brasilia, which is located far inland. The paper quotes meteorologist Estael Sias as explaining the cold snap as a result of climate change.
An unprecedented cold wave in Brazil for the month of May has been labeled a threat both to the country’s thousands of homeless people and also to crops, it was reported Thursday.
A 1.4°C mark in Brasilia Thursday became the coldest temperature in the city’s history since it was founded in 1960, with over a month to go before the official beginning of Winter in the southern hemisphere (June 21).
Sao Paulo also recorded a most unusual temperature of 6.6°C Wednesday, the second-lowest for the month of May since 1990, when it hit -4°C.
The abrupt drop in temperature is due to Cyclone Yakecan, of “anomalous trajectory”, which dragged an air current from Antarctica and “spread it over the interior of South America,” meteorologist Estael Sias explained. Sias also said these “severe and most anomalous” climatic events were “a consequence of climate change.”
Overall, however, the anomaly is 0 degrees worldwide, as can be seen from the map.
Climatreanalyzer also calculates with a reference value from 1979-2000, but at that time it was colder on Earth. Compared to the current reference value it could even mean a cooling. Important: This is a purely cut-off date consideration!
