Regions of Extreme Heat: The Future is Now
- Sylvia Rose
- Mar 22
- 6 min read
Heat is neutral. It can nurture or kill. With rising temperatures, many world regions already reach lethal levels. Extreme heat is influenced by factors like high humidity, inadequate water and air pollution.
While global warming occurs naturally, heat continues to rise at rates never before seen in history. As bodies struggle to cool down, heat effects range from dizziness and exhaustion to organ failure.
If it's too humid, sweat can't evaporate to cool the body. Ability to shed heat varies from person to person and by region. Extremes cause fainting, sleep disruption, breathing problems, heart attacks and kidney damage.
A body temperature over 40°C (104°F) can cause heatstroke and death especially where medical help is scarce. Vulnerable populations suffer most, facing psychological, physiological and socioeconomic crises.
Wet-Bulb Temperature
The wet-bulb temperature (TW), uses heat and humidity to assess livability in hot climates. The wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature to which air can be cooled by the evaporation of water.
For healthy people at rest and hydrated, wet-bulb temperature of 35°C (95°F) is considered the limit. Average body temperature is warmer at 37°C (98.6°F), meaning there's room to cool.
Beyond this point, the human body can no longer lower its temperature through sweating. Even lower wet-bulb temperatures can be dangerous sustained over long periods.
Certain regions are becoming unlivable due to heat and its complex effects on bodies, land and infrastructure. Several factors contribute.
Global Warming, rising average global temperatures.
Humidity, especially in coastal and low-lying regions. Those already prone to monsoonal weather patterns are most in jeopardy.
Urban Heat Islands: Densely populated cities trap heat, creating microclimates much hotter than surrounding rural areas. The effect is exacerbated by air pollution and amplified in regions already hot and humid.
Even solar panels don't work well in high heat, as shown by stats on recent heatwaves. While they give spectacular results during hot spells, as in Europe, over 35°C their efficiency declines by 10-25%.
Regions of Hazardous Heat
South Asia
In countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh the combination of intense heat waves, high humidity, and dense populations puts it in danger. Pollutions levels soar.
The Indus River Valley is especially imperiled. Reliance on outdoor labor in agriculture further increases the risk. Central India and Bangladesh are facing dramatic temperature increases.
In notably dense urban areas like New Delhi, heat waves may soar above historical averages. In May 2024 heat reaches a staggering 52°C (125.6°F), plunging communities into crisis.
Lack of adequate infrastructure to cope with extended heat increases mortality rates. Heat is accompanied by drought, famine, flash floods, wildfires and weather disasters.
Southeast Asia
Forest fires in Indonesia peak from July to October. They produce a haze covering Southeast Asia, leading to hotter temperatures, serious respiratory and other health issues.
Countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines experience increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, often with high humidity. Coastal cities and agricultural regions are especially at risk.
Over the past 85 years these regions already experience increases in the number of days in April with such dangerously high temperatures. In 2024, Yangon, Myanmar, is the hottest city in SE Asia with temperatures up to 40°C (104°F).
Persian Gulf
Already characterized by extremely high temperatures, this region, including parts of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, is likely to become uninhabitable within a few years.
Rapid urbanization and reliance on air conditioning, a system which actually contributes to heat problems, exacerbate the situation. Many countries in the Middle East already suffer from extreme heat.
Middle East
In some areas, temperatures can surpass 50°C (122°F) during peak summer months. In Kuwait City prolonged periods of heat exceed sustainable levels, making large areas dangerous by day. Kuwait has been experiencing temperatures over 50°C in the summer months for decades.
In 2024 the hottest cities in the world are Barsa, Iran with up to 130 days of temperatures above 50°C. It's followed by Ahvaz Iran and Al-Jahra, Kuwait with 50°C+ heat waves of 84 and 83 days respectively.
Parts of Africa
Regions near the equator, like West Africa, deal with increasing heat stress. Limited access to cooling technologies and healthcare resources make populations in these areas particularly vulnerable.
North African countries, including Algeria, Egypt and Libya also deal with long-term conditions of extreme heat. Central and northern Saharan regions are too hot for human life. Temperatures regularly exceed 50°C during the hottest months.
The Sahara Desert is expanding, mainly toward the south. Its harsh climate is a serious threat to agriculture and water availability. In some regions of Egypt, water resources are forecast to decrease by 40% by 2030, causing massive human displacement.
Amazon Rainforest
Climate change, declining rainfall and deforestation already stresses the Amazon Rainforest. This can create drier, hotter conditions, making parts of the region uninhabitable.
The rainforest is a subject of great controversy. While global exploitation abounds, much of the local rainforest destruction is driven by factors like cattle ranching, soybean production, and gold mining.
Coastal Australia
While Australia has always experienced heat, rising sea levels and a changing climate increase humidity along the coast, making some areas hotter. Parts of northern Australia, including Darwin, Broome, and Port Hedland, are predicted to be unlivable within a lifetime.
United States
Cities like Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, already experience extreme temperatures. In 2024 Phoenix breaks all records with an unprecedented fall heat wave of 70 days and temperatures exceeding 43.3°C (110°F).
These areas could see a steady rise in annual average temperatures and heat-related health crises. Crucial infrastructures like air conditioning become overwhelmed, and water shortages are also a problem.
Arizona is presently in an extended drought. Water shortage affects almost the entire state, with regions of extreme and exceptional drought.
Pacific - El Niño
The Pacific has been in an El Niño phase since May 2023, releasing additional heat and exacerbating global warming in many regions. El Niño is the warm stage of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
This recurring climate pattern raises water temperature in central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Characterized by unusually warm surface waters, it adds to the rising heat. El Niño is associated with drought in India, Indonesia and Brazil, and increased flooding in Peru.
In parts of Asia, it increases frequency and timespan of extreme heat. It's especially dangerous for the many cities currently hit by a series of intense heatwaves, forcing school closures and health warnings.
Places Too Hot Now
Sustained wet-bulb temperatures exceeding 35°C are still comparatively rare on Earth. They have been recorded for short periods and forecast to worsen over time.
Indus River Valley (Pakistan): This region is inundated by intense heatwaves.
Persian Gulf: Cities like Dhahran (Saudi Arabia) record peak wet-bulb temperatures close to critical threshold. Kuwait City and Basra, Iraq, record staggering temperatures reaching 54°C (129°F).
Coastal Cities in India: During pre-monsoon heatwaves, cities like Kolkata and Chennai are subject to lethally high heat and humidity.
United States: Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas, those in the Southeast like Miami and Houston, and areas of California have increasingly hot summers, with temperatures reaching triple digits Fahrenheit.
In super hot regions, daily life becomes steadily more hazardous, with efforts of basic activities posing severe health risks. These intense conditions are already a reality for many people around the world.
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