Seville launches world’s first program to name and rank heat waves
The launch comes after the hottest first two weeks of June ever recorded in Spain
Seville, Spain, has officially launched a new pilot program to address deadly heat waves. The program, unveiled yesterday on the summer solstice, introduces a system for naming and ranking heat waves in much the same way as hurricanes.
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Spain has been grappling with extreme temperatures for weeks. A sizzling heat wave last month sent temperatures soaring across the southern part of the country — in some places rising nearly 30 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for that time of year. The city of Jaén broke 104 degrees, a record for the month of May.
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Extreme heat is one of the deadliest forms of severe weather. In the United States, it kills more people than any other type of weather event, including hurricanes or floods.
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The pilot program in Seville is a collaboration between the city government and Arsht-Rock’s Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance, an initiative designed to combat deadly urban heat. Other partners include several Spanish universities and research institutes, the Spanish Office for Climate Change and sustainable development initiative El Día Después.
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