Quebec researchers propose new heat wave alert system

Researchers in Quebec have developed a new warning system for heat waves that they say is more precise and better adapted to climate change.

Quebec has had a heat-alert system in effect since 2010, but researchers are modifying it because they expect periods of extreme heat will extend beyond the summer months in the future.

The new alert system, which will be tested soon, is designed to help public health officials avoid deaths and hospitalizations as extreme heat waves become more frequent and more severe.

Under the existing system, alerts are typically triggered when a threshold temperature is forecast to be hit over several days. They allow health officials to inform the public, but also to manage hospital staffing and beds and make other decisions, such as extending the hours of public swimming pools and air-conditioned libraries and shopping centres.

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