Heat Week
How Hot Can It Get? Scientists Are Struggling to Find an Answer
Figuring out how anomalously high temperatures can rise is taking on added importance as the planet warms.
Power transmission lines during high temperatures in June 2025.
Photographer: Sam Wolfe/BloombergHow hot can a heat wave really get? Before June 2021, scientists thought they knew.
That’s when one of the most extreme heat spikes ever observed hit western North America, leaving at least 1,400 people dead. Lytton, British Columbia, smashed the 84-year-old Canadian heat record on June 26, reaching 46.6 C (116F).