It is very hot in a lot of places right now. It’s over 100 degrees in cities across China. Millions of people in North Africa and the Middle East are grappling with life-threatening heat. And the heat index is pushing 110 degrees or higher from Texas to Florida. The average global air temperature over the last two days appears to be the hottest on record, going back to 1979, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. …Zoom out a little bit more, and June 2023 may have been the hottest June on a longer record, going back to the late 1800s, according to preliminary global data from NOAA and a major European climate model. …The reason for the scorching temperatures is twofold: human-caused climate change plus the cyclic climate pattern known as El Niño. …And hot weather is deadly, whether or not it breaks a record.