The Heat Is On: Sizzling & Sweltering this Summer

 The end of June found Europe sweating, with over the top, record breaking temperatures.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the following countries all had areas that broke records, many of them for 3 consecutive days during the span of time between June 21--28, 2026: Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Not only is extreme heat a serious health danger, but the fact that temperatures don't give way during overnight is a huge problem. The lack of cooling starts us all off "behind the 8 ball." Bodies do not have a chance to recover, putting heat stress on top of heat stress in a cumulative manner.

Using Perplexity.AI and the World Meteorological Organization's June 29, 2026 article , I crafted this simplified graphic and using the following conversion from Celcius to Fahrenheit as: F = (C × 9/5) + 32. Given that, 40°C is approximately 104°F and 42°C ≈ 108°F.

Meanwhile, "across the pond," the following week we had DC, Maryland, Philadelphia, & Boston, among the major areas that had to postpone their 4th of July celebrations based on extreme temperatures with triple-digit heat indexes. A "heat dome" high pressure system trapped humidity from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic States. Power grids in many US locations were pushed to their limits. My 5 pm July 3rd weather was listed at 99°F with a "feels like" temperature of 110°F... well past the height of the heat of the day.

Climate Scientist Katharine Hayhoe, whom I adore, called it for what it is--a direct effect from climate change which has been impacted by fossil fuel pollution. Be sure to click the "see more" to read her entire post with coordinating links: 

It's not "just summer" when it comes to record breaking heat of this extreme.

A great resource for Grades 6-12 teachers is OER Project: Teach Climate Change, a collection of free lesson plans. I know it's summer, but this is when we teachers do our percolating, especially when we have climate news happening around us to the point where it may impact our vacations and our patriotic holidays. There are a multitude of other resources also available at OER for history, science, geography and more. 

We need to take note and educate ourselves that this heat wave is not just a quirk of nature with these sizzling, sweltering days. It's a health concern for our entire planet. We need to go forward, not with despair, but with informed, collective action using the science and common connections. Through these, we take small steps to caring for each other and our shared home.

Graphic created using Perplexity.AI and data obtained from https://wmo.int/media/news/record-breaking-heat-spreads-through-europe; Katharine Hayhoe's Facebook post from https://www.facebook.com/20531316728/posts/10154009990506729/