Heatwave over eastern North America in the late June-early July 2026 intensified by climate change

This paper concludes that the anomalous high temperatures during the late June-early 2026 eastern North America heatwave were intensified by human-driven climate change, while natural climate variability likely played a secondary role.

The key highlights include:

• Meteorological conditions like those leading to eastern North America heatwave in late June and early July 2026 are up to about 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) warmer than they were in the past according to ERA5.
• This extreme event is associated with very rare meteorological conditions, a stalled heat dome, that are occurring earlier in the summer under present-day conditions.
• About 50 million people and 3.3 trillion USD of economic activity were exposed to these extreme heat conditions.
• This paper concludes that the anomalous high temperatures during the late June-early 2026 eastern North America heatwave were intensified by human-driven climate change, while natural climate variability likely played a secondary role.