Keeping an energetic toddler entertained and cool in the summer can be a challenge, especially during a heat wave.

“We’re gonna do our best to stay cool while having fun outdoors,” said Kelsey Kheir as her 14-month-old son, George, climbed on a play set on the Eastern Promenade Tuesday.

Portland is in the midst of a record-setting heat wave of 28 consecutive days in which the temperature has not fallen below 60 degrees, according to the National Weather Service office in Gray.

“This is the longest amount of time Portland has had a temperature above 60,” said meteorologist Jon Palmer. “We had a similar stretch in August of 2020.”

That period in July and August of 2020 lasted 21 days. The city surpassed that mark last week and broke the previous record of 24 days, set in August 1988, on Saturday. Three of the top 10 such periods occurred in the last five years, Palmer said.

And with overnight lows predicted to be in the mid-60s or above for the next few days, it looks like the current hot streak is going to continue.

It comes at a time the entire globe is in the middle of a heat wave. Phoenix has had a record-shattering 25 straight days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees and more than a week when the nighttime temperature never dropped below 90 degrees. Heat waves in Europe have forced the countries to warn residents and tourists to stay indoors.

It could not have happened without climate change, according to a new study from World Weather Attribution. 

The study linked the heatwaves to the continuing buildup of warming gases in the air. A stagnant atmosphere, warmed by carbon dioxide and other gases, made the European heat wave 4.5 degrees hotter, the one in the United States and Mexico 3.6 degrees warmer, and the one in China 1.8 degrees warmer, the study found.

“Had there been no climate change, such an event would almost never have occurred,” Mariam Zachariah, a climate scientist at Imperial College of London and the lead author of the study, told The Associated Press. She called heat waves in Europe and North America “virtually impossible” without the increase in heat-trapping gases since the mid-1800s. Statistically, the one in China could have happened without global warming.

Several climate scientists say this month’s heat is likely the hottest Earth has experienced in about 120,000 years, which easily would make it the hottest in human history.

The global average temperature was hotter in 22 of the first 24 days of July than on any other single day recorded, according to calculations by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.

In Maine, the heat is going to build over the next few days with the temperature expected to be in the 90s in Portland by Thursday. An approaching cold front from Canada could cause isolated thunderstorms in the city Thursday evening, while interior Cumberland and York counties could see severe storms. The cold front likely will pass through by the end of Friday, so Saturday could be warmer, said Palmer, the weather service meteorologist.

The Kheirs live in Portland’s East End and are within walking distance of the playground and beach.

The family tries to go to the park in the morning because by noontime it’s already too hot. As temperatures rise into the weekend, Kheir, who is pregnant, said she plans to stay close to home or go to a body of water to cool down.

“We’re lucky to be surrounded by water,” she said.

Lauren and Sarah Rosenthal also sought out the water, spending part of their visit to Portland by renting paddleboards on the Eastern Promenade. The sisters said that the heat wasn’t too bad on the water.

Karyn Peabody and her 7-year-old nephew Sam are visiting from Vermont. The two have spent much of their trip outside, taking hikes, going on bike rides and visiting beaches. The weather hasn’t impacted their trip, but they chose to sit in the shade while eating lunch on the Eastern Prom Tuesday to avoid the heat.

“It’s been hard to be outside,” Peabody said. The pair have been enjoying the beach nonetheless.

Dan Krell, of Westbrook, doesn’t mind the weather, but he is discouraged by it.

“We totally blew it with global warming,” he said. “We’ve already lost the game, so I’m trying to enjoy the reasonable temps.”

This report contains material from The Associated Press.

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