Heat wave

A high pressure system in the upper atmosphere traps heat near the ground, forming a heatwave (for North America as an example)

A heat wave[1] (or heatwave[2]), sometimes known as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather.[3]: 2911  High humidity often accompanies heat waves. This is especially the case in oceanic climate countries. Definitions vary but are similar.[4] A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and to normal temperatures for the season.[3]: 2911  Temperatures that people from a hotter climate consider normal can be called a heat wave in a cooler area. This would be the case if the warm temperatures are outside the normal climate pattern for that area.[5] Heat waves have become more frequent, and more intense over land, across almost every area on Earth since the 1950s. This is due to climate change.[6][7]

Heat waves form when a high pressure area in the upper atmosphere strengthens and remains over a region for several days up to several weeks.[8] This traps heat near the ground.

Heat waves often have complex effects on human economies. They reduce labour productivity, disrupt agricultural and industrial processes and damage infrastructure not suitable for extreme heat.[9][10] Severe heat waves have caused catastrophic crop failures and thousands of deaths from hyperthermia. They have increased the risk of wildfires in areas with drought. They can lead to widespread power outages because people use more air conditioning. A heat wave counts as extreme weather. It poses danger to human health because heat and sunlight overwhelm the human body's cooling system. It is usually possible to detect heat waves by using forecasting instruments. This allows the authorities to issue a warning.

  1. ^ "Heatwave – noun – Definition". Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^ "Heatwave – noun – Definition". gcunoxfohoarnersdictionaries.com.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :42 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Meehl, G. A (2004). "More Intense, More Frequent, and Longer Lasting Heat Waves in the 21st Century". Science. 305 (5686): 994–997. Bibcode:2004Sci...305..994M. doi:10.1126/science.1098704. PMID 15310900.
  5. ^ Robinson, Peter J (2001). "On the Definition of a Heat Wave". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 40 (4): 762–775. Bibcode:2001JApMe..40..762R. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<0762:OTDOAH>2.0.CO;2.
  6. ^ "Summary for Policymakers" (PDF). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2021. pp. 8–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ Thompson, Andrea, "This Summer’s Record-Breaking Heat Waves Would Not Have Happened without Climate Change", Scientific American, July 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Bottollier-Depois, Amélie. "Deadly heatwaves threaten economies too". phys.org. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  10. ^ García-León, David; Casanueva, Ana; Standardi, Gabriele; Burgstall, Annkatrin; Flouris, Andreas D.; Nybo, Lars (4 October 2021). "Current and projected regional economic impacts of heatwaves in Europe". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 5807. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.5807G. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26050-z. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8490455. PMID 34608159.

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