Extreme heat waves aren’t ‘just summer’: How climate change is heating up the weather, and what we can do about it

The U.S. Northeast was already roasting in record heat as summer 2024 began. Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

The heat wave that left more than 100 million people sweating across the eastern U.S. in June 2024 hit so fast and was so extreme that forecasters warned a flash drought could follow across wide parts of the region.

Prolonged high temperatures can quickly dry soils, triggering a rapid onset drought that can affect agriculture, water resources and energy supplies. Many regions under the June heat dome quickly developed abnormally dry conditions.