In the past few hours, Egypt has witnessed an unprecedented rise in temperatures, with several provinces recording the highest level at 50.9 degrees Celsius. Monitoring stations announced that the temperature in Aswan reached 48 degrees Celsius in the shade at 3 PM yesterday, while Cairo recorded 41 degrees Celsius. Amidst this extreme heat, many are eager to know when the heatwave will come to an end.
**Slight Decrease Expected**
The last few days have seen a significant rise in temperatures due to the impact of hot air masses that have affected the country. However, this impact has begun to gradually diminish since the evening of Friday, with expectations that it will end tomorrow, Sunday, according to meteorological experts. The meteorological authority indicated that starting Sunday, regions in northern Egypt, Greater Cairo, and northern Upper Egypt will experience a slight and temporary decrease in temperatures ranging from 3 to 5 degrees, lasting until Monday.
**Climate Hell**
Last week, the European Union's climate monitoring service reported that the past 12 months have been the warmest on record annually. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for urgent action to avoid a "climate hell." The Copernicus Climate Change Service indicated that the average global temperatures over the year ending in May exceeded pre-industrial averages by about 1.63 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest period since data recording began in 1940.
The average of the past 12 months does not mean that the world has surpassed the global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, which measures average temperatures over decades. Scientists warn of the severe consequences of exceeding this limit, which cannot be mitigated.
In a separate report, the World Meteorological Organization indicated an approximately 80% chance of temporarily surpassing an average temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within at least one of the next five years, up from a 66% chance last year. Guterres warned about the rapid pace at which the world is moving in the wrong direction away from climate system stability, stating in a speech on World Environment Day that in 2015, the chance of this exceedance was close to zero.
With time running out to reverse this trend, Guterres urged a global reduction in fossil fuel production and consumption by about 30% by 2030.