1fs. Recent Severe Heat WavesSummer heat waves are certainly no
rarity in the United States and Canada. Sooner or later everybody
endures an episode of unpleasantly high temperatures. But heat waves can
cause much more than a few days of discomfort—they can kill. One of the
most notable heat waves of the past few decades was the relatively
brief but severe event in mid-July 1995 in the north-central United
States.Although extremely high temperatures occurred from the Great
Plains to the Atlantic Coast, nowhere was the problem more acute than in
Chicago, Illinois, where 525 people died from the heat. The heavy
mortality resulted from a combination of high temperatures (Midway
Airport recorded an all-time high temperature of 41.1°C, or 106°F) and
unusually high humidities. The heat and humidity combined to make the
“apparent temperature” equivalent to 47°C (117°F). Though the searing
daytime heat created plenty of misery on its own, it is believed that
the major factor leading to the many deaths is the fact that the extreme
heat went uninterrupted, with the apparent temperature exceeding 31.5°C
(89°F) for nearly 48 consecutive hours. (Recent research suggests that
such conditions pose a greater danger than do brief periods of more
extreme heat.)Four years later, in 1999, another major July heat wave
occurred in the eastern two- thirds of the United States. Once again,
Illinois was in the center of the action, with more than half of the 232
fatalities across the Midwest occurring in Chicago. Missouri was the
second hardest hit state, with 61 fatalities. All across the region,
power outages occurred from excessive demand, roads buckled, and crops
wilted in the fields.As July gave way to August, the heat moved eastward
toward the Atlantic states, where it broke numerous weather records.
Charleston, South Carolina, had an all-time high temperature of 40.5°C
(105°F). The high temperature in Augusta, Georgia, of 39.4°C (103°F)
came on the sixth consecutive day in which the record for the daily
maximum temperature was tied or exceeded, And on August 8,
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, broke the 100°F mark (37.8°C) for the
11th time that summerSevere heat has also impacted other parts of the
world. Some 35,000 people died from heat-related causes during a heat
wave across Europe in July and August of 2003. England recorded its
all-time highest temperature on August 10, with a reading of 38,1°C
(100.6°F) at Gravesend-Broadness. France, suffering through its hottest
summer since World War II, was especially hard hit, with over 11,000
heat-related fatalities. In January 2014 Australia experienced a heat
wave severe enough to force postponement of the Australian Open tennis
tournament, as a ball boy collapsed under temperatures reaching 43.4°C
(110°F). Other recent Australian heat waves have led to record- breaking
wildfires.The decade of the 1990s and the first decade and a half of
the 2000s were remarkably warm relative to other periods in recorded
history. This is particularly noteworthy because the topic of human-
induced climatic warming has been a major issue for scientists and
policy makers. This matter will be discussed further in later chapters
of this book.What aspect of the 1995 heat wave made it particularly
deadly? Get solution
2fs. Recent Severe Heat WavesSummer heat waves are certainly no rarity in the United States and Canada. Sooner or later everybody endures an episode of unpleasantly high temperatures. But heat waves can cause much more than a few days of discomfort—they can kill. One of the most notable heat waves of the past few decades was the relatively brief but severe event in mid-July 1995 in the north-central United States.Although extremely high temperatures occurred from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast, nowhere was the problem more acute than in Chicago, Illinois, where 525 people died from the heat. The heavy mortality resulted from a combination of high temperatures (Midway Airport recorded an all-time high temperature of 41.1°C, or 106°F) and unusually high humidities. The heat and humidity combined to make the “apparent temperature” equivalent to 47°C (117°F). Though the searing daytime heat created plenty of misery on its own, it is believed that the major factor leading to the many deaths is the fact that the extreme heat went uninterrupted, with the apparent temperature exceeding 31.5°C (89°F) for nearly 48 consecutive hours. (Recent research suggests that such conditions pose a greater danger than do brief periods of more extreme heat.)Four years later, in 1999, another major July heat wave occurred in the eastern two- thirds of the United States. Once again, Illinois was in the center of the action, with more than half of the 232 fatalities across the Midwest occurring in Chicago. Missouri was the second hardest hit state, with 61 fatalities. All across the region, power outages occurred from excessive demand, roads buckled, and crops wilted in the fields.As July gave way to August, the heat moved eastward toward the Atlantic states, where it broke numerous weather records. Charleston, South Carolina, had an all-time high temperature of 40.5°C (105°F). The high temperature in Augusta, Georgia, of 39.4°C (103°F) came on the sixth consecutive day in which the record for the daily maximum temperature was tied or exceeded, And on August 8, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, broke the 100°F mark (37.8°C) for the 11th time that summerSevere heat has also impacted other parts of the world. Some 35,000 people died from heat-related causes during a heat wave across Europe in July and August of 2003. England recorded its all-time highest temperature on August 10, with a reading of 38,1°C (100.6°F) at Gravesend-Broadness. France, suffering through its hottest summer since World War II, was especially hard hit, with over 11,000 heat-related fatalities. In January 2014 Australia experienced a heat wave severe enough to force postponement of the Australian Open tennis tournament, as a ball boy collapsed under temperatures reaching 43.4°C (110°F). Other recent Australian heat waves have led to record- breaking wildfires.The decade of the 1990s and the first decade and a half of the 2000s were remarkably warm relative to other periods in recorded history. This is particularly noteworthy because the topic of human- induced climatic warming has been a major issue for scientists and policy makers. This matter will be discussed further in later chapters of this book.How do the global temperatures of recent decades compare to the historical record? Get solution
2fs. Recent Severe Heat WavesSummer heat waves are certainly no rarity in the United States and Canada. Sooner or later everybody endures an episode of unpleasantly high temperatures. But heat waves can cause much more than a few days of discomfort—they can kill. One of the most notable heat waves of the past few decades was the relatively brief but severe event in mid-July 1995 in the north-central United States.Although extremely high temperatures occurred from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast, nowhere was the problem more acute than in Chicago, Illinois, where 525 people died from the heat. The heavy mortality resulted from a combination of high temperatures (Midway Airport recorded an all-time high temperature of 41.1°C, or 106°F) and unusually high humidities. The heat and humidity combined to make the “apparent temperature” equivalent to 47°C (117°F). Though the searing daytime heat created plenty of misery on its own, it is believed that the major factor leading to the many deaths is the fact that the extreme heat went uninterrupted, with the apparent temperature exceeding 31.5°C (89°F) for nearly 48 consecutive hours. (Recent research suggests that such conditions pose a greater danger than do brief periods of more extreme heat.)Four years later, in 1999, another major July heat wave occurred in the eastern two- thirds of the United States. Once again, Illinois was in the center of the action, with more than half of the 232 fatalities across the Midwest occurring in Chicago. Missouri was the second hardest hit state, with 61 fatalities. All across the region, power outages occurred from excessive demand, roads buckled, and crops wilted in the fields.As July gave way to August, the heat moved eastward toward the Atlantic states, where it broke numerous weather records. Charleston, South Carolina, had an all-time high temperature of 40.5°C (105°F). The high temperature in Augusta, Georgia, of 39.4°C (103°F) came on the sixth consecutive day in which the record for the daily maximum temperature was tied or exceeded, And on August 8, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, broke the 100°F mark (37.8°C) for the 11th time that summerSevere heat has also impacted other parts of the world. Some 35,000 people died from heat-related causes during a heat wave across Europe in July and August of 2003. England recorded its all-time highest temperature on August 10, with a reading of 38,1°C (100.6°F) at Gravesend-Broadness. France, suffering through its hottest summer since World War II, was especially hard hit, with over 11,000 heat-related fatalities. In January 2014 Australia experienced a heat wave severe enough to force postponement of the Australian Open tennis tournament, as a ball boy collapsed under temperatures reaching 43.4°C (110°F). Other recent Australian heat waves have led to record- breaking wildfires.The decade of the 1990s and the first decade and a half of the 2000s were remarkably warm relative to other periods in recorded history. This is particularly noteworthy because the topic of human- induced climatic warming has been a major issue for scientists and policy makers. This matter will be discussed further in later chapters of this book.How do the global temperatures of recent decades compare to the historical record? Get solution
