Extreme Heat

A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and relative to normal temperatures for the season. Temperatures that people from a hotter climate consider normal can be called a heat wave in a cooler area if they are outside the normal climate pattern for that area. The term is applied both to hot weather variations and to extraordinary spells of hot weather which may occur only once a century. Severe heat waves have caused catastrophic crop failures, thousands of deaths from hyperthermia, increased risk of wildfires in areas with drought, and widespread power outages due to increased use of air conditioning. A heat wave is considered extreme weather, and poses danger to human health because heat and sunlight overwhelm the human body's cooling system.

Read more in the app

Extreme Heat Spurs New Laws Aimed at Protecting Workers Worldwide

Extreme Heat in U.S. Schools Disproportionately Affects Marginalized Students

Cities face double trouble: Extreme heat and air pollution cause increasing compound weather events - EurekAlert!

Extreme Heat Makes Your Body Age Faster

Extreme heat linked to spike in domestic violence calls in New Orleans, study finds - EurekAlert!

Extreme heat poses growing threat to our aging population - EurekAlert!

Extreme heat is driving dramatic declines in tropical birds

Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat

Heat Dome’s Extreme Heat and Humidity Triggers Alerts across Eastern U.S.

Workers Have Died in Extreme Heat as OSHA Has Debated Protections

AI Could Help Save Patients from Extreme Heat

How to Keep Your Home Cool in Extreme Heat

Extreme heat and wildfire smoke is a risky combination, new study finds - EurekAlert!

Extreme Heat Is the Biggest Threat to Insurers and Businesses

The World Isn’t Ready for the Mental Health Toll of Extreme Heat

Climate Change Will Cause a Lifetime of Extreme Heat for Today’s Children

Extreme heat poses Spanish-style blackout threat to UK electrical grid

Exposure to extreme heat and cold temperature is leading to additional preventable deaths, new 19-year study suggests

Exposure to extreme heat and cold temperature is leading to additional preventable deaths, new 19-year study suggests - EurekAlert!

Illinois study: Extreme heat impacts dairy production, small farms most vulnerable - EurekAlert