SPAIN: Spanish Scientists have named a heat wave for the first time, calling it Zoe. This is the heat wave that caused temperatures to reach 112 degrees Fahrenheit in Seville between July 24 and July 27.
According to Jose Mara Martin Olalla, an associate professor in the condensed matter, Physics Department at Sevilla University, the campaign is a brand-new effort to raise awareness of extreme temperatures and warn the public about the dangers. In addition to the customary naming of hurricanes by humans, the United States began nicknaming winter storms in 2012.
The proMETEO Sevilla Project is named after the research facility and non-profit organisation with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center of the Atlantic Council. Seville is the project’s pilot location, and its objectives are to raise public awareness of extreme heat while fostering measures to reduce the risks connected with heat waves.
Heat waves do not only happen on hot days. By periods of at least three consecutive days in July and August between 1971 and 2000, when at least 10% of meteorological stations report maximum temperatures over the 95th percentile, the Spanish State Meteorological Agency identifies them.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a benchmark of at least two days where the daily minimum temperature, adjusted for humidity, is higher than the 85th percentile for July and August between 1981 and 2010 even though the term “heat wave” lacks a generally accepted definition in the United States.
Heat waves can be dangerous, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly and people who perform physically demanding outdoor jobs. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) calculated that between 2000 and 2016, 125 million extra people annually were exposed to extreme heat.
8 million Americans will experience heat indices above 125 degrees Fahrenheit this year, and an astonishing 107 million will do so by the year 2053, according to the organisation. Zoe may be the first heat wave to be given a name, but it won’t be the last. Spanish officials plan to alternate male and female names in reverse alphabetical order during impending heat waves.
Also Read: Record Breaking Heat Wave: Europe and US under Heat Wave Emergency
