Record-breaking Heat Wave Sweeps Across the South, Amplified by El Niño and Unpredictable Jet Stream

The southern US is experiencing an extraordinary heat wave that is straining infrastructure and human survival. Unusual atmospheric patterns, global temperature cycles, and a northward bulge in the jet stream are contributing to the extreme heat. The high humidity, fueled by record-high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and warming Gulf of Mexico, is making the heat wave even more dangerous. Climate change is also increasing the likelihood and severity of heat waves. The current heat wave may break soon, but it is setting the stage for even hotter temperatures in the future.