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How heat waves form, and how climate change makes them worse

The worst effects of heat aren’t always in the hottest places: While absolute temperatures may rise higher in already warm areas like the southwestern US, heat waves can have their deadliest impacts in cooler regions, where high temperatures are less common. Warmer areas often already have air conditioning in homes and offices, while regions that usually don’t get as warm have less cooling infrastructure and fewer places to find relief. The people in these regions are also less acclimated to high temperatures and may not recognize warning signs of heat-induced health problems.

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  What to Know About Heat Waves

In most parts of the United States, temperatures must be above the historical average in an area for two or more days before the label “heat wave” is applied.

Articles of Interest

How can we talk about heatwaves without mentioning climate change?

In the end, whatever the means, it’s important we connect the dots on climate change. We aren’t going to find the solution to humanity’s greatest challenge without acknowledging the problem and its sheer scale.

The science of why heatwaves are so dangerous to human health

The problem with heatwaves is that excessive heat can put humans under a lot of physiological stress. Because sweating is the most effective mechanism, during hot weather the people who are most vulnerable are the ones whose sweating mechanism is, for various possible reasons, subpar — the elderly, the chronically ill and children. “Elderly, children and pets are most at risk of heatwaves,” Kumar says.

Can We Blame the Summer Heat Wave on Global Warming?

Doling out blame for any single weather event is a tall order because weather is complicated. For one, it’s influenced by many factors: from planetary orbits to ocean currents to human activity. For another, it’s fickle. Yes, we’ve seen a decades long trend toward warmer temperatures, but it’s not constant.

Climate Change Is Causing More Sweltering Summer Days

A new study aims to answer: When do we know if bad weather can be blamed on global warming?

Current heat warning systems are woefully inadequate in an age of climate change

We need effective heat warning systems to properly inform people at risk when they should take caution. The first step is to revisit and redesign our current systems, which are deeply inadequate. Health problems from heat occur at temperatures significantly lower than when warnings are issued. This is because, for the most part, weather warnings for heat are issued based on the probability and magnitude of the heat event itself, rather than health outcomes.

Current heat waves are linked to climate change, scientists confirm

Pinning down blame for complex weather events isn't straightforward, due to the numerous variables involved, from water temperature to air pressure. But thanks to state-of-the-art climate models, scientists can now calculate the likelihood of individual extreme weather events having happened due to climate change.

Deadly Degrees: Why Heat Waves Kill So Quickly

Outdoorsy types and outdoor workers like roofers might suffer first, but it's the elderly and the mentally ill who make up the majority of deaths.

Drink More Water

The dos and don’ts of hydrating in a heat wave.

Droughts, Heat Waves and Floods: How to Tell When Climate Change Is to Blame

Weather forecasters will soon provide instant assessments of global warming’s influence on extreme events.

Get Used To These Extreme Summer Heat Waves

Unless we act fast to curb climate change, scorching heat will become commonplace, scientists say.

Heat Waves Can Be Bad For Your (Mental) Health

Temperature rises make people more impulsive and unhappy and increase the risk of suicide, a study shows.

Heat Waves Grip 3 Continents as Climate Change Warms Earth

The temperatures, afflicting so much of the world all at once, were a withering reminder that climate change is a global crisis, driven by human-made forces: the emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

How Does a Heat Wave Affect the Human Body?

Some might like it hot, but extreme heat can overpower the human body. An expert from the CDC explains how heat kills and why fans are worthless in the face of truly high temperatures.

The latest winter storms have been deadly. But are cold snaps deadlier than heat waves?

Most people have dealt with discomfort at both ends of the temperature spectrum, so it’s not hard to believe that extremes in either direction can quickly become dangerous. However, researchers have struggled to figure out just how much temperature is to blame when hospital visits rise during periods of heat and cold.

The Most Essential Worker in a Heat Wave? The A.C. Guy

While trying to cool brutally hot Phoenix, Roberto Guerrero and his sons endure sweltering attics, blazing rooftops and nonstop calls for help.

The Number Of Deadly Heat Waves Is Growing - And They'll Only Get Worse

By the year 2100 the vast majority of people worldwide can expect to deal with deadly heat waves where they live.

The UK heatwave has revealed the relics of ancient settlements

Relics of ancient settlements have started appearing in rural Wales as ground dries out to reveal deeper trenches.

The Upper Temperature Limit For Human Safety Is Lower Than We Thought

Extreme heat has been breaking records across Europe, Asia and North America, with millions of people sweltering in heat and humidity well above "normal" for days on end. Death Valley hit a temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) on July 16, 2023 – not quite the world's hottest day on record, but close.

Three-quarters of the planet could face deadly heatwaves by 2100

Unlike floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes, heat's devastation is insidious, pushing on the human body’s limits until it suddenly exceeds them.

When You Can’t Find Shelter From the Heat

Temperatures elevated by climate change can be deadly for people experiencing homelessness.

Why heat wave warnings are falling short in the U.S

As heat waves get more frequent, longer and more intense with climate change, disaster experts say the country's current heat warning system is falling short. Many heat waves are deceptively deadly, but traditional weather forecasts often don't capture the full extent of the risk.

Resources

27 Ways Heat Waves Can Kill You

It isn’t always just the heat that kills people in heat waves, she points out. Smoke from forest fires causes breathing problems and heart attacks, or people drown trying to cool off in lakes and rivers.

5 Ways to Keep Cities Cooler During Heat Waves

Here’s a look at a few of the more promising ideas that cities around the world have been pursuing to try to beat the heat.