Reacción a "Hot days could last four hours longer by the end of the century under a high-emissions scenario"

Alongside the growing impact of extreme heat – such as that which is currently wreaking havoc across Europe and other regions of the world this summer – an increasing number of studies are emerging that analyse the observed intensification of heat, the mechanisms driving these increasingly frequent and more severe heat events, and their consequences.

This research has focused on a novel aspect: the hourly-scale assessment of temperature distribution during extreme heatwaves. This will enable a better characterisation of the impact on human health of persistent high temperatures, both at peak levels reached during the day and at night. The insights provided by this study may also help to improve adaptation measures and the design of early-warning systems for the public that are more effective than current ones, providing information on the most critical moments of heatwaves.