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Updated July 27th, 2022 at 16:12 IST

Heatwave Zoe: In a first, Spanish city names heatwave as temperatures soar across Europe

Naming heatwaves will help experts observe the extreme heat and ascertain other attributed factors like humidity, and determine its impact on public health.

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
Heatwave Zoe
Image: AP/Representative | Image:self
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Spain's Seville, on Tuesday, became the first ever city globally to name a heatwave amid scorching temperatures in Europe. After experiencing three record-breaking temperatures of the season in the past week, Seville gave an official name to the fourth one that the city of 7,00,000 is currently experiencing. 'Heatwave Zoe' was the name assigned to the ongoing sweltering tropical storm, citizens scorched amid intense weather, Time reported.

The name was reportedly recommended last week after the city administration launched a new categorisation system to monitor, measure, and understand weather behaviour on an hourly basis. It was a part of a year-long project undertaken by the local Meteorological Department - ProMeteo Sevilla - in collaboration with the Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center in Washington.

The new method will enable experts to not just observe the extreme heat but ascertain other attributed factors like humidity, and then determine its impact on public health.

Heatwaves segregated into three categories

The system segregates heatwaves into three tiers based on their temperature, each tier requiring authorities to take measures as planned previously. Subsequently, heatwaves under the highest tier will be assigned names.  According to the Time report, climatologists had also suggested names like Yago, Xeniaz Wenceslao, and Vega, apart from Heatwave Zoe.

Other than categorising, the climate experts will also tally current temperature data in comparison to the same time, hour, and day, in the past years in Seville. Adhering to a novel algorithm, they will also note death cases in the same duration, in addition to other impacts of the heatwaves that have gripped not only Spain but entire Europe and further westward into America.

Nearly 600 people have died so far in Spain due to record-breaking temperatures triggered by climate change.

Seville records daily temp above 43°C amid heatwave Zoe

Amid heatwave Zoe, the temperatures in Seville topped 43°C during the daytime. While there is no scientific definition explaining the cause of the unfathomable rise in local average temperature, leading to sporadic heatwaves, experts have mostly cited climate change and the average rise in global temperature that is impacting regional weather. Citing climate scientists, Time reported that several scorching heatwaves are expected to follow Zoe in the coming summer days.

Not just Spain, record high temperatures were also noted in Portugal, France, California, Iran, India, China, the UK, and the US. Europe is reeling under repressive heat with wildfires raising the temperature to unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, unbearable heatwaves are expected to continue through August after they scorched Americans through July. In the northeast part of the country, temperatures are predicted to go beyond triple digits amid suffocating humidity.

(Image: AP)

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Published July 27th, 2022 at 16:12 IST

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