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Europe experienced extreme heat through the summer of 2003. Temperatures hit record highs in five countries.
In Paris, workers at the Eiffel Tower had to spray mist on overheated tourists. The London Zoo cooled off its lions using ice. Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years caused at least 35,000 deaths.
The heat wave was 2003’s deadliest natural disaster worldwide. Heat-related weather doesn’t create dramatic photos, so many people don’t take heat seriously. Yearly, heat kills on average more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and lightning combined.
◀ Rising temperatures in the western U.S. have led to drier forests and an increase in forest fires over the last 30 years. Computer models predict that warming due to increased CO2 could eventually raise the incidence of forest fires by more than half.
Earth’s Weather
Heat, along with air and water, is a key part of all 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 atmospheric air. Two percent is made up of other gases.
Humidity is a measure of water vapor in atmospheric air. Mixing high heat with high humidity spells misery. High humidity keeps sweat from drying, making it harder for people to cool off. In July 1995, temperatures in Chicago soared to 106°F, while the humidity soared as well. The lethal combination of heat and humidity killed approximately 750 people. ▶
◀ Temperatures in Paris reached 104°F on August 5, 2003. People cooled down under jets of water at Paris Beach, a temporary artificial beach on the banks of the Seine River.
Heat waves can bring serious health problems.
Try This!
Snowy tree crickets chirp more rapidly on hot days. You can use their chirping to calculate the temperature, more or less. Count the number of chirps made in 13 seconds by one cricket, and then add 40 to that number. Then check a thermometer to see how close you came.
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 describes average weather conditions over a long period of time.
