In it North Hemisphere, 2023 is being the summer of heat waves for many. The perception we all have is that one is not finished yet when the next one has already begun. They overlap in such a way that we have already lost count and it is difficult to know how many heat waves have taken place so far.
In fact, if we ask people, they may venture to calculate a higher number than we actually have. And it is that, at least in Spain, for the moment we have had a total of three heat waveswith one practically newly established.
It seems that they are more because temperatures are being abnormally high and the climate quite dry. In addition, heat waves are being quite longHence, what is only one can appear to be several. Now, the fact that the number is lower than we might think does not mean that we are exaggerating when considering 2023 an extreme year. He climate change it is giving its first blows, now without compassion. This has only just begun and the situation will surely get worse. In the end, the number of heat waves is not the most relevant. What matters is that feeling that we all have of experiencing a constant heat wave.
What are heat waves?
Heat waves are much more than high temperatures. For an episode to be defined as such, the following must be met: very specific requirements.
It is true that, in general, a period of high temperatures is known as a heat wave, which is maintained for several days, in a wide region of geography. This is a very subjective definition, so each country has its own criteria. In Spain, heThe State Meteorological Agency establishes that we can consider a heat wave an episode of at least three consecutive daysin which, at least, the 10% of the stations considered register maximums above the 95% percentile of their series of maximum daily temperatures for the months of July and August of the period 1971-2000.
That is the definition that was established in the year 2000. Previously, there were other definitions, according to which, from 1971 to July 19, 2023, there were in Spain 113 heat waves. There have been years, like 2017, that have also had a lot of heat waves. So, there were five in total, but there are quite relevant differences with what is happening in 2023. To begin with, the first heat wave took place on June 13, still in spring, but already bordering on summer. In 2023, instead, we had the one that is considered the warmest spring since there are historical records. There was no talk of an official heat wave, but, in a sustained manner, temperatures were much higher than normal.
As for summer, 2023 has fewer heat waves, for now, but the maximum temperatures are well above those of 2017, whose most intense heat wave had a maximum of 41.1ºC.
Besides, 2022 was the year with the most days under a heat wave. It cannot be said if the same will happen with 2023, since the summer has not yet ended, but it is heading in a similar direction.
What is happening in 2023?
It is true that 3 heat waves is not something out of the ordinary. Many years have had the same amount. But this summer is being the warmest in many ways. The heat waves are being very long and the temperatures especially high. And this is applicable to the whole world, not only to Spain.
In fact, July 2023 has been the hottest on Earth on record. This can be seen with data such as an unusual heat wave in South America, where they are still experiencing the winter. In the rest of America, the area that enters the northern hemisphere, very high temperatures are being detected that can be seen in Canada, where they have had some episodes of unprecedented forest fires or in Mexico, where they have been experiencing heat waves since last March.
In short, although the number of heat waves may seem low, 2023 is turning out to be a hellish year, which has already broken several of the worst records that can be broken. Climate change will continue to bring us more and more episodes of high temperatures and it does not matter what name is given to them. The consequences, if we do nothing to fix it, will be terrible.