This summer, Bishkek residents felt “all the charm of summer” thanks to the hot weather. And this is not surprising, because in Bishkek the temperature above 30 degrees was maintained for as many as 72 days, or 78% of summer days were hot.
In addition, some periods of the summer were unbearably hot. In total, there were 4 periods of extreme heat in the summer of 2024 * : three for 3 days, the longest – 12 days.
* Extreme heat is defined as a period when the air temperature exceeds 35°C for two or more consecutive days.
If you look at other cities ** , then in Naryn in the summer of 2024, extreme heat was not recorded, which can be explained by its location. But there were 11 days above 30 degrees Celsius.
In Talas there were 2 days of peak temperatures, and above 30 ℃ – 37 (40.2% of all summer days).
** For the Kyrgyz Republic, data is available only for 4 cities.
In Jalal-Abad there were 28 days with extremely high temperatures. And above 30 degrees – 82 days (89% of all summer days).
Over the past 5 years, the most extremely hot days were recorded in 2021 and 2023.
Naryn, as a mountainous and “cooler” region, has not experienced extreme heat in the last 5 years, but the number of days with temperatures above 30°C has still increased. In 2020, there was only 1 such day, and in 2023 there are already 16.
Jalal-Abad has the most significant temperature changes. The number of days with temperatures above 30°C in 2020 was 74 days, and in 2024 it was already 82 days. Extreme heat (above 35°C) was recorded on 41 days in 2023.
Thus, the warming climate change in Kyrgyzstan is noticeable in terms of the increase in the number of days with high and extremely high temperatures. The greatest impacts are seen in lower-lying and southern areas such as Jalal-Abad, while Naryn, a mountainous region, experiences less change.
Meanwhile, a report by Climate Central, World Weather Attribution and the Red Cross and Crescent Climate Centre, Climate Change and the Escalation of Global Extreme Heat: Assessing and Addressing the Risks, notes that human-caused climate change is intensifying dangerous extreme heat for billions of people and making heat events more likely and prolonged.
For reference: Heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths and can worsen existing conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental disorders and asthma, and increase the risk of accidents and transmission of certain infectious diseases.
Between 2000–2004 and 2017–2021, heat-related deaths among people aged 65 and older increased by approximately 85% .
Returning to the report “Climate Change and the Escalation of Global Extreme Heat: Assessing and Addressing the Risks,” it assessed the impact of anthropogenic climate change on dangerous heat waves over the past 12 months (from May 15, 2023 to May 15, 2024) using the Climate Change Index.
The period analyzed covered the hottest year on record on Earth (2023) and 11 consecutive months with record global temperatures (June 2023 – April 2024).
Over a 12-month period, 6.3 billion people (about 78% of the world’s population) experienced at least 31 days of extreme heat (more than 90% of the temperatures observed in their region between 1991 and 2020), the likelihood of which has been at least doubled by human-induced climate change.
Over 12 months, human-caused climate change has resulted in an average of 26 more days of extreme heat worldwide than would have occurred without a warmer planet.
Scientists have also identified 76 extreme heat waves spanning 90 different countries, putting billions of people at risk, including in densely populated areas of South and East Asia, the Sahel and South America.
The report on Kyrgyzstan notes that under the influence of climate change, the average number of days with temperatures above the 90th percentile (based on the impact on residents averaged over the entire population) was 35, while without the influence of climate change, the average number of days with temperatures above the 90th percentile (based on the impact on residents averaged over the entire population) was 11.1.
The past nine years have been the warmest on record globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization, despite the cooling influence of a multi-year La Niña from 2020 to early 2023.
What are El Niño and La Niña phenomena?
El Niño -Southern Oscillation is a large-scale climate phenomenon of natural origin that consists of fluctuations in ocean water temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, combined with changes in the atmosphere of these regions.
La Niña, unlike El Niño, typically has the opposite effect, resulting in a global decrease in temperatures.
The 2023/24 El Niño has contributed to a spike in global temperatures and extreme weather events around the world. Every month since June 2023 has set a new temperature record, with 2023 being named the hottest year on record.
The WMO predicts a return to La Niña conditions later this year.
However, WMO Deputy Secretary-General Co Barrett warns that the end of El Niño does not mean a pause in long-term climate change, as the planet will continue to warm due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
“Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures will continue to play a significant role over the coming months,” she said.
https://eco.akipress.org/news:2167967
