Western Europe: Heatwave Zoe 2022
Introduction
In the summer of 2022, much of Western Europe endured prolonged and record-setting heat waves that shattered temperature records, strained public services, and caused thousands of excess deaths. Countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal experienced unprecedented heat, with temperatures surpassing 40°C in regions where such extremes were once considered exceptionally rare.
Against this backdrop at a live press conference, Mayor Juan Espadas of Seville, Spain, with words of endorsement from Valvanera Ulargui, Director of the National Government Agency for Climate Change, announced plans to name and categorize heat waves. Seville is located in the Andalusia region, which is among the hottest regions in Spain, where temperatures easily soar above 40°C or 104°F. Montoro, a city of about 9,500 people in southern Spain, reached an unprecedented 47.3°C (117.3°F) with the highest temperature ever to be recorded in the country.
The goal of creating a naming and categorization system was not only to address public health issues related to heat, but also to develop resilience capacity building, protect jobs, and foster economic growth through raising awareness.
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