visualize the “exceptional” heat wave recorded on the African continent

A situation “exceptional”of the “thousands of records shattered”. Between Monday March 11 and Sunday March 17, Internet users reported on the social network particularly hot temperatures on the African continent. “All the ingredients come together to have high temperatures on the continent this spring”explains climatologist Benjamin Pohl, researcher at the Biogeosciences Institute at the University of Dijon.

According to readings from the European Copernicus Observatory, positive temperature anomalies have indeed covered many regions of the continent during this week, as shown by the Climate Pulse tool, which allows the day’s temperatures to be compared with the averages between the years 1991 and 2020. The more the area concerned turns red, the closer we get to +8 to +12°C compared to the temperatures of the last thirty years:

To explain these temperatures, Benjamin Pohl first cites the global phenomenon of global warming caused by human activities. Added to it “the end of a fairly strong El Niño event” : “After the El Niño we had, the African continent is fairly uniformly warm, but especially in the north and south of the Congolese basin, throughout the Sahel and in West Africa.”

Another parameter adds up, according to the researcher. “The Indian Ocean sometimes responds to the El Niño phenomenon and warms in its western part, which creates a new source of heat, mainly affecting southern Africa and East Africa.st, this time.”

“We are arriving at the spring season, which is the hottest in the Sahel. And this year, we are expecting a particularly warm spring.”

Benjamin Pohl, climatologist

at franceinfo

We therefore see, year after year, a “clear increase in hot records and a drop in cold records.” These events come after a year 2023 particularly marked by extremes on the African continent: “unusual heat”of the “precipitation deficits”of the “significant heatwaves” and “floods”cites the latest climate report from the World Meteorological Organization. “The most exposed populations are also the most vulnerable and the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that cause this excess heat”deplores Benjamin Pohl.

45°C forecast in South Sudan

As an immediate consequence, the government of South Sudan announced, on Saturday March 16, the closure of schools from Monday 18, for an unspecified period. On site, the unusual heat wave could reach 45°C. Such a measure is unprecedented in this tropical East African country, considered particularly vulnerable to climate change. Extreme heat is not uncommon, particularly during the peak of the dry season in February-March, but rarely exceeds 40°C.

“Most parts of South Sudan are experiencing a heatwave. (…) High temperatures of 41°C to 45°C are expected this week”thus warned the Ministries of Education, Health and the Environment in a press release, stressing that this phenomenon was expected to last “at least two weeks”. “Cases of deaths linked to excessive heat have already been reported”they say, without further details.

Since the 19th century, the average temperature of the Earth warmed by 1.1°C. Scientists have established with certainty that this increase is due to human activities, which consume fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). This warming, unprecedented in its speed, threatens the future of our societies and biodiversity. But solutions – renewable energies, sobriety, reduced meat consumption – exist. Discover our answers to your questions on the climate crisis.