Many Asians died in a heatwave; India registered above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius). People in long lines to vote, politicians running for office, and local newsreaders all passed out from the heat. But these heat waves aren’t just hot weather. Many things can cause them, and they change over time. They hurt people’s health, make injustice worse, damage buildings, and worsen other problems related to global warming. However, temperatures around the world are still rising above average. This means that next year could be even hotter, and more records could be broken. In this article we discuss everything about heatwave.
Heat waves
After a heatwave, temperatures stay above their best point for a certain amount of time. A heat wave is a condition of the air temperature that makes it hard for people to live. It is shown by the temperature thresholds over an area, either as the actual temperature or as the change from the average temperature.
Cities warm things up even more. Landscaping, such as roads, parking lots, and buildings, in cities like Dallas and Los Angeles, makes them warmer than the rest of the area, sometimes up to 20°F warmer. People call this effect the urban heat island UHI effect.
Heatwaves have become more deadly
Here are some points:
- Rising Humidity
The study found that the rise in relative humidity has made heat stress worse in warm-humid and moderate climate zones across all climate zones. This rise has also stopped the drop in air temperatures in mixed climate and hot-dry climate zones, which is most noticeable when it rains.
- Spike in built-up area and corresponding Urban heat island effect
Another thing that makes heat waves worse in cities is that more people live there. Cities can’t handle climate change as well as they could because of the urban heat island effect. This effect makes cities warmer at night than close places. It is getting warmer and more humid in towns because more people are moving there and there is less greenery.
- Increase in night temperature
Researchers have found that over time, the temperature difference in towns between day and night has shrunk. Additionally, these studies demonstrated that having more vegetation can assist in maintaining cooler daytime temperatures. As the night goes on, the concrete dries and gives off heat, so it doesn’t do a great job of keeping the heat out.
Threats Posed by heatwaves
Here we discuss about the threats posed by heatwaves:
- Human Health
Too much heat is one of the leading weather-related causes of death in many places. In the summer, warm nights and high humidity are likely two of the main things that make people sick and kill them. Also, more people get sicknesses like heart and lung problems and kidney disease during heatwaves.
- Air quality
Air quality also changes when temperatures are very high or very low. Daytime high temperatures and sunshine can create more ground-level ozone. Obezone is a dangerous gas that makes up a lot of smog. It can hurt people with asthma the most, so they are more likely to get sick. Most of the time, using more air-cooling means using more energy. Depending on where the electricity comes from, that electricity can also pollute the air with particles.
- Agriculture
When it gets too hot, farmers may lose their crops. Plants don’t grow well during the day, and some need it to be excellent at night. Also, animals are more likely to get heat stress during heat waves, mainly if it stays hot at night and they can’t cool down. Wildfires and droughts can get worse during heat waves, which is bad for the farming business.
- Energy
Heating affects production, mobility, and demand in the energy system. Summer heat waves increase the need to cool down, but they also reduce power transmission line efficiency. Weak power supply during a hot wave could cause rolling blackouts. As they warm, lakes and rivers lose some power to absorb power plant waste heat. This may reduce heat-to-power efficiency. This makes it challenging for power facilities to fulfil environmental water-cooling standards, which could force them to close.
- Increasing Heat Resistance
Determine who is most at risk from heat and establish safety precautions. They must open cooling stations during excessive temperatures and establish workplace heat stress policies to do this. Cool green roofs and pavements reduce urban heat islands. Planting trees shades and cools the air by releasing water. Save energy, especially during heat waves, to reduce power line stress. Professional passive cooling roof techniques are required.
How Heatwave impacts?
Here we discuss about the heatwave impacts:
- The timing of heat waves is changing
A lot of people are more likely to get sick when it’s boiling early in the season. People are less used to the heat in the spring and early summer. People might not be staying out of the sun and drinking water to stay safe in the heat, and there might not be any places to cool off. This is why heat waves like the ones we’ve had across the country this year early in the season are so scary. Heat waves happen more often because of climate change. There are also more high temperatures early and late in the season, which makes the hot season last longer.
- The tools used to cope with heat are also stressed by it
Keeping power plants cool is essential because they provide electricity for many things, like air conditioners and freezers. These plants don’t work as well when it’s warmer outside. Power lines can only carry so much power when it’s boiling, and things like transformers break down more often. If there is enough stress, the power grid could go out when people need it the most. Water and sewer systems, gas pumps and public transportation are just some of the things that can’t work when the power goes out.
Conclusion Better public health education and additional methods to cool down, especially in high-risk areas, could mitigate some of the harshest consequences. To keep the planet cool, reduce heat-trapping gases. Climate change may last a while, but it must start now. Contact Lumincoat today to understand how their nanotechnology solar reflective cool roof paint can lower your home’s temperature, save you money, and improve comfort.
