Rising Temperatures in Europe

Europe is experiencing scorching temperature that rose to an unprecedented level in the couple of days recently, accompanied by extreme heat waves.

Heat waves and standards:

Several countries have adopted their own standards on heat waves:

• United States: The US National Weather Service defines a heat wave as a spell of “abnormally and uncomfortably hot and unusually humid weather” over two days or more.
• Denmark:A heat wave occurs when the mean of the highest recorded temperature measured over three consecutive days exceeds 28°C (82.4°F).
• Australia:In Adelaide, Australia, a heat wave is defined as five straight days with temperatures at or above 35°C (95°F), or three consecutive days at or over 40°C (104°F).
  
  
  

Scenario across Europe:

• Several parts of Greece are witnessing wildfires due to a soaring high temperature across the nation resulting in substantial damage and necessitating the evacuation of residents.
  • Temperatures in Greece could climb to 44 degrees Celsius though it is expected to fall for many parts of Europe, including northern Italy
• Temperatures may rise to the mid- to high-40s this weekend and into next week in the central and eastern Mediterranean. 
  • The situation could further exacerbate as the western Mediterranean basin is set to be affected by high concentrations of Saharan dust.
• The Spanish state meteorological service warned of temperatures of between 42°C and 44°C while Italy’s national meteorological service also issued red alerts for extreme heat in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, with temperatures well above 40°C.
• Spain warned of the risk of wildfires in most of the country, though residents were allowed to return to their homes in La Palma Island, where a blaze that raged for five days.

Other related events:

• Temperatures climbed to 53°C in California’s Death Valley in the United States and went over 52°C in China’s northwest.
• With its 19th straight day of temperatures of 43°C or higher, Phoenix, in the US, shattered a comparable record that had stood for 49 years. 

Impact of Heat waves:

• Health effects:  Hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke, becomes common during periods of sustained high temperature and humidity.
• Older adults, very young children, and those who are sick or overweight are at a higher risk for heat-related illness.
• The chronically ill and elderly are often taking prescription medications that interfere with the body's ability to dissipate heat can face problems due to excessive heating.
• Psychological and sociological effects: In addition to physical stress, excessive heat causes psychological stress, to a degree which affects performance, and is also associated with an increase in violent crime.
• High temperatures are associated with increased conflict both at the interpersonal level and at the societal level.
• Increase in surface ozone: Ozone pollutionin urban areas is especially concerning with increasing temperatures, raising heat-related mortality during heat waves. During heat waves in urban areas, ground level ozone pollution can be 20% higher than usual.
• Lead to wild fires: If a heat wave occurs during a drought, which dries out vegetation, it can contribute to bushfires and wildfires.
• Power outages: Heat waves often lead to electricity spikes due to increased air conditioning use, which can create power outages, exacerbating the problem.