Mali and Burkina Faso experienced an exceptional heat wave in terms of its duration and intensity, with temperatures above 45°C. Scientists' observations and comparisons of temperature models "show that heat waves of the magnitude observed in March and April 2024 in the region would have been impossible" without a global warming of 1.2°C, "of human origin".
An episode like the one which affected the Sahel for 5 days in April only occurs in principle "once every 200 years" and would occur 10 times more frequently in a 2°C world. "Heat waves are among the deadliest natural disasters," according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) report. The duration and severity of this heat wave caused an increase in deaths and hospitalizations recorded in these countries, even if the Malian and Burkinabe populations "are acclimatized to high temperatures."