A sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) melted due to the heatwave that struck the Northeast. A wax sculpture of Lincoln sitting in a chair, about 6 feet tall, was installed in the schoolyard of Garrison Elementary School in Washington, D.C., last February. The sculpture was placed to educate the Civil War (1861-1865) and its aftermath. A San Diego-based artist, Sandy Williams IV, created the statue.
As the 95°F weather continued for several days, the sculpture quickly lost shape. The Washington Post reported, “The head went first, then one of his legs dripped off its torso and a foot turned into a blob. The chair sank into the ground.”
The local non-profit organization that helped to install the sculpture emphasized the drastic climate change as they did not anticipate the sculpture to melt.
The Northeastern and Midwestern regions are experiencing record heat waves due to the heat dome phenomenon. The National Weather Service (NWS) announced that about 15 million people are under heat alert, and 90 million are under heatwave advisories. The number of heat-related illness patients has also increased significantly.
The Northeastern regions, including Washington DC, usually experience less heat due to relatively high latitude and a large proportion of greenery. However, the area is under a heat alert as temperatures soared this year. In regions such as Manchester and New Hampshire, temperatures rose about 27 degrees higher than usual for this time of year.
This heatwave is analyzed to be associated with global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
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