The heat index in Puerto Rico reached as high as 125 degrees Fahrenheit this week, according to the National Weather Service, which says the region will continue facing extreme heat through the weekend.
Monday and Tuesday featured record-breaking weather for the island this time of year, as temperatures officially hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit, reported NBC News.
The heat index, however — which describes how temperatures affect the body and takes into account both heat and humidity — peaked at 125 in the northern town of Donado. Meteorologists are saying the heightened conditions are a result of a combination of weather, ocean patterns and man-made climate change.
“There’s emerging science indicating that there’s a connection to climate change here — the heat wave in Puerto Rico right now has been made at least five times more likely to happen due to man-made global warming,” said John Morales, a meteorologist at ClimaData and a hurricane specialist for NBC Miami.
A low-pressure system from Florida and a high-pressure system near Puerto Rico has formed a kind of “heat dome” and is remaining stuck, hovering over the region, according to Morales.
As the humidity also continues to rise, residents in Puerto Rico are becoming more susceptible to heat exhaustion and, in worse cases, heat strokes.
