Cold Wave

A cold wave is a period of marked and unusual cold weather characterized by a sharp and significant drop in air temperature near the surface (maximum, minimum and daily average) over a large area and persisting below certain thresholds for at least two consecutive days during the cold season (WMO, 2020).

The nomadic herder communities of Mongolia are accustomed to harsh, icy conditions. They have their own name for these specifically harsh winters - the dzud.

The World Meteorological Organization guidelines on the definition and monitoring of extreme weather and climate events advise the following (WMO, 2020):

Index: Daily values of Tmax, Tmin, and /or average temperature. Another index could be computed using temperature change in the 24 hours prior to the onset of the event.
Threshold: Determined based on historical values of the index.
Temporal: Station-level information on starting date, ending date, and duration of the event. Persistence of conditions for a cold wave are two days.
Spatial: Calculate the area affected, by providing the percentage of stations where the threshold was surpassed; locate the coordinates of the impacted stations and the centre with the highest/lowest values of the indices; and optional, but recommended if resources are available, to use a geographical information system (GIS) to calculate the area affected by the event, the magnitude, and severity.

This hazard category also includes Dzud which is a cold-season disaster in which anomalous climatic (i.e., heavy snow and severe cold) and/or land-surface (snow/ ice cover and lack of pasture) conditions lead to reduced accessibility and/or availability of forage/pastures, and ultimately to high livestock mortality during winter–spring. This page also contains content on Blizzard which is a severe snow storm characterised by poor visibility, usually occurring at high-latitude and in mountainous regions.

Vulnerability

Human health impacts from cold waves include mortality from ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, both of which increase in cold weather.

Living in a cold house can affect health at any age, not just in old age, for a variety of reasons. Although the extra deaths in elderly people are caused mainly by cardiovascular and respiratory disease, far greater numbers have minor ailments that lead to a huge burden of disease, costs to the health system, and misery.

Compared with those who live in a warmer house, respiratory problems are roughly doubled in children, arthritis and rheumatism increase, and mental health can be impaired at any age. Adolescents who live in a cold house have a five-fold increased risk of multiple health problems (Dear and McMichael, 2011).

Risk reduction measures

To reduce impacts related to cold waves, countries have used national alerting parameters for cold wave warning or cold weather plans, which help prevent major avoidable effects on health (HIP, 2021).

Latest Cold Wave additions in the Knowledge Base

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Case study

Hong Kong (China)

Protecting the elderly from heat and cold stress in Hong Kong: Using climate information and client-friendly communication technology

This case study highlights the importance of partnership and stakeholder engagement in improving the delivery and communication of useful weather and climate information to the health sector and promoting public awareness on the care of elderly people.

Hong Kong Observatory

Case study

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Knowing when cold winters and warm summers can reduce Ambulatory Care performance in London

This study is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. Initial findings show that there is a clear relationship between air temperature and emergency ambulance calls.

World Health Organization (WHO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Research briefs

18 December 2018

Reducing energy costs and social isolation ‘essential opportunities’ in supporting older adults in extreme weather

New research finds that the cost of heating and cooling the home and increasing social isolation are significant factors in the health risk of older adults in extreme temperatures. The study also reveals a range of opportunities for enhancing adaptation strategies, drawing on assets and strategies that seniors would welcome.

University of Warwick

Documents and publications

19 December 2018

The contribution of assets to adaptation to extreme temperatures among older adults

Climate change and extreme temperatures pose increasing challenges to individuals and their health with older adults being one of the most vulnerable groups. The aim of this paper is to better understand the roles that tangible assets (e.g., physical or

Public Library of Science

Update

30 November 2018

Energy Networks Association launch the Winter Resilience Committee to help protect 6 million vulnerable people across the UK

As Britain’s register for vulnerable energy customers exceeds six million customers in need, the Energy Networks Association has launched its Winter Resilience Committee. After each named storm, the committee will publish a dashboard that will help to understand how these storms affect the country and to track the resilience of the British energy networks.

Energy Networks Association

Update

29 November 2018

Climate change signals and impacts continue in 2018

A new WMO provisional statement shows that the global average temperature for the first ten months of 2018 was nearly 1°C above the pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900), with the average global temperature set to be the fourth highest on record. If the current trend continues, the world may a temperature increase of 3-5°C by the end of the century.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Documents and publications

29 November 2018

WMO provisional statement on the state of the global climate in 2018

This provisional Statement on the State of the Global Climate provides an assessment of the state of the global climate during the period January-September of the year in question.

For more than 20 years, these reports have been published in the six

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Research briefs

26 November 2018

USA, Canada: Extreme heat increasing in both summer and winter

New research shows extreme heat events both in the summer and winter are increasing across the U.S. and Canada, while extreme cold events are declining. The study examines both relative and absolute extreme temperatures, and finds that relative extremes are changing faster than absolute ones, and often occur outside of seasonal norms.

American Geophysical Union