Europe is sweltering, with France recording its warmest day ever
THIS SUMMER Europe is sweltering in unusual temperatures. Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have seen record-breaking temperatures for June. France has recorded its highest temperature—45.1C —of all time. Heatwave, scream myriad headlines. But what exactly is it?
Martha and the Vandellas had a definition. According to their hit of the same name, released in 1963, a heatwave involved an inability to stop crying, the feeling of being possessed by the devil, high blood pressure, and a “burning in my heart”. Their wording is a model of precision compared with that provided by the World Meteorological Organisation , the UN agency that calls itself “the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the world’s atmosphere”.
Some differences are logical because heatwave warnings depend in part on what residents are used to. The temperatures currently keeping Parisians sweating on the Metro would barely warrant a mention in Furnace Creek, California, which has recorded the world’s highest temperature . It makes sense to tailor warnings to local conditions.
The WMO is encouraging climate and health scientists to develop a measure that could be used more widely in forecasts and warnings. Many are in development, including a universal thermal climate index, which combines air temperature with measures of its effect on the human body. But for now, the answer to what is a heatwave is that it depends on where you are.
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