Free
In the summer of 2003, Europe was extremely hot. Temperatures hit record highs in five countries.
In Paris, workers at the Eiffel Tower sprayed mist on hot tourists. The London Zoo cooled off its lions using ice. It was Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years, and it caused at least 35,000 deaths.
The heat wave was 2003’s deadliest natural disaster worldwide. You can’t take shocking photos of heat-related weather. That’s one reason many people don’t take heat seriously. Yearly, heat kills more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and lightning combined.
◀ Temperatures in the western U.S. are rising. This has led to drier forests and more forest fires over the last 30 years. Computer models tell us that warming due to rising CO2 levels could eventually lead to more than 50 percent more forest fires.
Earth’s Weather
Along with air and water, heat is a key part of Earth’s weather. Weather is the condition of atmospheric air at a given time or place. Atmospheric air surrounds Earth. Invisible gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide make up 98 percent of this air. Other gases make up the rest.
Humidity is a measure of water vapor in atmospheric air. Mixing high heat with high humidity spells misery, because humidity keeps sweat from drying. That makes it harder for people to cool off. In July 1995, temperatures in Chicago soared to 106°F, while the humidity soared, too. The lethal combination killed about 750 people. ▶
◀ Temperatures in Paris reached 104°F on August 5, 2003. People cooled down under jets of water at Paris Beach. That’s an artificial beach on the banks of the Seine River.
Heat waves can cause serious health problems.
Try This!
Snowy tree crickets chirp faster on hot days. You can use their chirping to roughly compute the temperature. Count the number of chirps made in 13 seconds by one cricket and add 40 to that number. Then check a thermometer to see how close your calculation was.
Check It Out!
What’s the difference between weather and climate?
Weather describes the day-to-day state of the atmospheric air in an area. Climate refers to average weather conditions over a long period of time.
