Do these heatwaves mean climate change is happening faster than expected?

Scientists don't have enough time to answer questions about the climate system because it's too warm.

The assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell stated in an email that there was a lot of uncertainty when it came to these unprecedented and record-breaking events. When it comes to certain extreme events, you can't say the models get it or don't.

What other forces could be contributing to very hot heat waves?

Some researchers are looking at the degree to which certain forces could be making heat waves worse.

Potential feedback effects include the drying out of soil and plants in some parts of the country. This can accelerate the warming of the air during heat waves because of the energy that goes into the water.

Climate change may be increasing the persistence of certain atmospheric patterns that are fueling heat waves. The build-up of high-pressure ridges that push warm air downward creates heat domes that bake large regions.

The Pacific Northwest heat wave may have been caused by both forces. A split in the jet stream and warming ocean waters could be playing a role in the increase in extreme heat events in Europe.

Why didn’t the scientists warn us properly?

It's really bad. This effect has been printed in publications in response to extreme weather events.

Climate change will make the planet warmer, weirder, and more dangerous for humans, animals, and the environment, and scientists have been warning about it for decades. They have been candid about the limits of their understanding. They have been accused of being scaremongers overstating the threat for research funding or political reasons.

Some "aha, gotcha, scientists were wrong all along" kind of revelation isn't what real-world events are about. One researcher eagerly uses a stress test of the tools to refine their understanding of these systems and their models.

Chris Field, director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, put it bluntly, in a letter responding to the New York Times’ assertion that “few thought [climate change] would arrive so quickly”: “The problem has not been that the scientists got it wrong. It has been that despite clear warnings consistent with the evidence available, scientists dedicated to informing the public have struggled to get their voices heard in an atmosphere filled with false charges of alarmism and political motivation.”