Heat Wave Zoe: Seville Becomes First City in the World to Officially Name a Heat Wave
A severe heat wave is gripping Seville today with temperatures expected to exceed 42° C for the next several days.
Mon, Jul 25, 2022
SEVILLE, SPAIN — July 24, 2022 — Just a month after launching proMeteo Sevilla, Seville’s sophisticated heat wave naming and categorization system has identified Heat Wave Zoe – the world’s first-ever heat event to officially be named like hurricanes.
proMeteo Sevilla detected that the actual heat wave reached high levels of danger in its categorization system today and will continue until Tuesday, July 26th with daytime temperatures soaring above 42° C 43° C/109° and high nighttime low temperatures. Because this heat wave poses very serious health threats to Sevillians, proMeteo and the City of Seville elevated their alert systems and issued guidance so people in Seville can take maximum precautions—particularly the most vulnerable.
As climate change continues to intensify the temperature, frequency, and duration of heat waves in the region, the new heat wave categorization and naming system was designed to raise awareness and inform Seville’s residents about the dangerous effects of heat on human health. Specifically, it anchors public warning campaigns to a three-tiered category system integrated with the City’s emergency and disaster response plans.
The categories are based on the expected excess danger posed by the temperature, humidity, and conditions in the 30 days preceding it, including nighttime temperatures, which are a key determinant of health impacts of an extended heat event. Heat waves designated as Category 2 and 3 events are named in descending order from the last to first letter of the Spanish alphabet. The names for this heat season are Heat Wave Zoe, Yago, Xenia, Wenceslao, and Vega.
“proMeteo Sevilla is the culmination of 18 months of hard work on the part of Arsht-Rock, our science advisory team, and local and global partners committed to saving lives” said Kathy Baughman McLeod, SVP and director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock). “We hope this pilot will serve as a model for other leaders and governments to follow as they face pressure to take on this deadly threat. People do not have to die from heat.” proMETEO Seville is a collaboration between the City of Seville; Arsht-Rock’s Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance (EHRA) Science Advisory Panel—comprising leading climatologists, social and behavioral scientists, and public health and disaster relief experts—AEMET; the University of Sevilla; Pablo de Olavide University; the Carlos III Institute; the Spanish Office for Climate Change; and El Día Después.
About the Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
The Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock) builds individual and community resilience in the face of climate impacts. We pledge to reach one billion people around the world with resilience solutions to climate change by 2030. For more information please visit https://www.onebillionresilient.org/ or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
