Declines in cooling sulfates combined with increases in greenhouse gas concentrations have increased the intensity and frequency of African heat waves. And the temperature spikes may be even more intense than has been recorded.

By Chad Small

When Southern Europe was hit by a catastrophic heat wave last month, it dominated global news cycles. Spain experienced its longest heat wave on record: lasting 16 days with temperatures reaching 109 degrees. By August 19, wildfires stoked by the heat had torched more than 40,000 acres in France. At the peak of the heat wave, 60 percent of Italian cities were placed under the highest alerts for deadly temperatures. The death toll from the heat in Europe is still being tallied, but includes a four-year-old boy who died of heat stroke in Italy.

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