Okay, so it felt like a climate update was overdue, given the reality.
Right now, the air is smoky here in New Jersey. You can actually smell the smoke, as well as see it. Some people are complaining about how it is making their eyes watery, and there are health advisories for poor air quality throughout this region again today. The daylight looked a bit more yellowish than normal. Not as intensely orange as it looked a year or two ago, the last time that we had something similar due to Canadian wildfires. This has lasted a few days now.
Here's the thing: these kinds of poor air quality days due to Canadian wildfires in the eastern half of this continent is something new. The fires are massive, and so the smoke has been spreading out all across the middle and east of the continent. Detroit was far and away the most polluted city in the world yesterday as a result of the poor air quality. Some other cities that had poor air quality as a result of the wildfires: Toronto, New York, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Milwaukee reported the worst air quality on record yesterday.
Remember when we thought of massive wildfires as mostly a thing you saw out west?
Yeah, this appears like it might be the new reality.
Otherwise, the heat has been oppressive in many areas. Throughout much of North America, record heat temperatures have been set from heat waves just in this month of July. That's true from the West Coast to the East Coast. Oh, and Europe just had it's third heat wave since May, which also established new heat records there.
Traditionally, western Europe was known for having mild summers, which never got too hot. With three intense heat waves already dating back to mid-May, and with such heat waves now seeming to be the new normal in recent years for Europe, this appears to be the new normal. It was so hot that there were also wildfires in regions in western Europe which do not traditionally have problems with wildfires, much like in eastern North America currently. Also, it was so hot that roadways and highways were buckling in places like Germany and Austria which, again, were not traditionally known as places with intense heat. These heat waves have been so intense that they are responsible for thousands of deaths, power disruptions, and again, wildfires. Numerous countries saw the highest temperatures ever recorded, including France, Germany, and Denmark.
Not that it has been much more comfortable in North America. Heat records were set in Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. The new record of 111°F is four degrees higher than the previous record for Salt Lake City These stats were taken from the Science NASA article (see link below).
Also, last month was the second hottest month of June on record going back to 1850. And it seems like 2026 will predictably be one of the hottest years on record. Here is a snippet from an article by Jeff Masters for the Yale Climate Connection (see link below):
According to NCEI’s statistical analysis, there is about a 95% chance that 2026 will rank among the four warmest years on record. This statistics-based product is not designed to explicitly take El Niño or La Niña events into account, so with a global-atmosphere-warming El Niño event about to unfold, the odds are likely considerably higher.
Not surprisingly, ice levels in the Arctic are lower than they have been, and obviously lower than they should be. None of this should really come as a shock to people anymore, should it?
The recent intense heat waves across continents has even somehow gotten the attention of FO News, who traditionally are not exactly leaders in reporting on climate science. Yet in a recent article published on July 7th, FOX News asked whether 2026 would be the hottest year on record while reporting on record-breaking temperatures across the United States.
When even FOX News appears to be concerned about the intense heatwaves and wondering whether or not this will be the hottest year on record, maybe it's time to pay attention.
Ironically, the smoke is keeping the temperatures here in New Jersey a little cooler. Yet somehow, this is not a comforting thought, all things considered, when you really think about it.
Do you think that it's time we stop hugging our security blankets and sucking our thumbs, and wake up to take this threat seriously? I know it's scary and uncomfortable to think about. And I know that there will always be jeering idiots mocking any discussion on climate change, or high-ranking officials - especially here in the United States - actively trying to shut down debates and silence those who are trying to bring these facts to the public. But is it not getting harder and harder to believe that climate change is merely a hoax?
US Climate Records Toppled Again; Extreme Heat Spike Intensifies in Several States | Climate Tracker by WION:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIHU-Cw5tNo
US Climate Records Toppled Again; Extreme Heat Spike Intensifies in Several States | Climate Tracker
'Trees vanished in seconds': Canadian wildfires spread as smoke prompts air quality alerts in 18 states Parts of New York City experienced very unhealthy air quality levels Thursday ByKenton Gewecke, Bill Hutchinson, and Ivan Pereira July 16, 2026, 9:
https://abcnews.com/US/dangerous-wildfire-smoke-continues-air-quality-alerts-17/story?id=134809268
The mid-July heat wave, in five maps and diagrams by Joelle Gross July 15, 2026:
The second heat wave of the month has brought all-time record temperatures to cities across the country.
https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/second-july-2026-heat-wave-maps-data-rcna587517
The mid-July 2026 heat wave, in maps, charts and diagrams
No relief from the heat as many US cities will see record overnight temperatures by John Seewer, July 13, 2026:
https://apnews.com/article/heat-dome-record-temperatures-fb7664f71743f71beca4ce7447562ca2
Heat dome expected to bring record temperatures across the US | AP News
Heat Dome Broils the Western U.S. by NASA Earth Observatory Jul 15, 2026:
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/heat-dome-broils-the-western-u-s/
Heat Dome Broils the Western U.S. - NASA Science
Europe’s heat wave set records for all-time highs By Tik Root | Analysis | July 14, 2026:
https://thebulletin.org/2026/07/europes-heat-wave-set-records-for-all-time-highs/
Europe’s heat wave set records for all-time highs - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
June 2026: Earth’s 2nd-hottest June on record by Jeff Masters July 9, 2026:
An astonishing heat wave in Europe June 22-30 broke 10 all-time national heat records and set 394 all-time heat records at stations with a long-term period of record of at least 40 years.
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/07/june-2026-earths-2nd-hottest-june-on-record/
June 2026: Earth’s 2nd-hottest June on record » Yale Climate Connections
Will 2026 be the hottest year ever amid record-breaking temperatures across the US? Let's see what the prediction markets, sponsored by Kalshi, are saying about whether or not 2026 will be the hottest year ever. By Raymond Sanchez Source FOX Weather
foxweather.com/weather-news/2026-hottest-year-ever-amid-record-breaking-temperatures-across-us-kalshi
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