Military employee affiliated with Kazakhstan's embassy arrest in Poland
In July 2021, Kazakhstan experienced a severe heatwave that shattered temperature records in cities such as Shymkent, Taraz, Turkestan, Almaty, and other regions. This extreme heat was primarily caused by intense high-pressure systems and broader climate change trends linked to global warming.
Causes
The heatwave was the result of a persistent and unusually strong high-pressure system that trapped hot air over Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. This phenomenon is linked to climate change, which increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves worldwide, including Central Asia. While specific detailed reports on July 2021's heatwave in Kazakhstan are limited, studies show that Central Asia experienced record-breaking heat in the broader 2020–2025 period, with human-caused climate change significantly amplifying heat extremes in the region.
Records and Extent
In Kazakhstan’s southern and southeastern cities, temperatures broke previous monthly and even all-time heat records. The heatwaves pushed temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s Celsius, surpassing usual summer maxima and creating “tropical nights” with elevated nighttime temperatures that exacerbate heat stress.
Potential Impacts
The heatwave posed several risks and challenges. Extreme heat increases risks of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, particularly for vulnerable populations, due to prolonged and intense exposure to high temperatures day and night. Higher temperatures, combined with low precipitation, can exacerbate drought conditions and reduce water availability for agriculture and human consumption.
Heatwaves drive up electricity demand for cooling, stressing power grids, and sometimes causing outages or failures—an issue seen in neighboring regions like Turkey and the Middle East during similar heatwaves. Prolonged high temperatures can reduce crop yields by stressing plants and depleting soil moisture. Heat can also worsen wildfires, degrade ecosystems, and contribute to desertification risks in already dry regions.
Summary
The July 2021 heatwave in Kazakhstan was a product of natural meteorological factors intensified by climate change, pushing regional temperatures to record levels with wide-ranging consequences for health, water resources, energy systems, and agriculture. Continued warming increases the likelihood of such events in the future.
According to RGP "Kazhydromet", most of the country received below-normal precipitation in July, with Astana recording only 50 mm of precipitation, which is below the norm of 56 mm. The highest temperature recorded in Astana was +33.5°C on July 3. In some regions, precipitation was around or above the climatic norm on certain days. The average monthly temperature in Astana was +21.9°C, which was 1.3°C above normal.
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