Western US Heat Wave Was 800 Times More Likely Due to Climate Change, Scientists Find

Key Points

• World Weather Attribution group found the heat wave was 800 times more likely due to climate change
• Western heat waves have increased in intensity by more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit because of global warming
• The earliest portion of the March heat wave was statistically 'virtually impossible' without climate change
• Scientists believe climate change may be altering atmospheric circulation patterns like the jet stream

Full Details

The western United States experienced a heat wave so extreme that scientists say it would have been 'virtually impossible' without climate change. The World Weather Attribution group, a consortium of scientists that quantifies how much climate change influenced particular weather events, published a report on March 20 finding that heat waves in the West have increased in intensity by more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit because of global warming. Jennifer Brady, a senior data analyst at Climate Central, noted the heat wave's widespread footprint and duration made it an outlier even compared to current climate change expectations. Some scientists believe climate change is causing broad-scale changes to atmospheric circulation patterns that create heat domes, including alterations to the jet stream. This event adds to a growing body of evidence linking extreme heat events to human-caused global warming.