We’ve already lost count: how many heatwaves will we have in 2023?

In that North hemisphere, 2023 will be a hot summer for many. We all have the feeling that one is not over yet when the next one has already begun. They overlap in such a way that we’ve already lost count and it’s hard to recognize how many heat waves have happened so far.

In fact, if we ask people, they might dare to calculate a larger number than we actually have. And the fact is that, at least in Spain, at the moment we have a total of three heat wavesand one was recently installed.

It seems that there are more of them, because temperature abnormally high and the climate is rather dry. In addition, heat waves are observed. pretty longTherefore, what is only one may be several. Now, the fact that the number is lower than we might think doesn’t mean we’re exaggerating, considering 2023 to be extreme. He changing of the climate he strikes his first blows, now without compassion. This has just begun and the situation is bound to get worse. In the end, the number of heat waves is not the most important thing. The important thing is that we all have a feeling of constant heat.

What are heat waves?

Heat waves are much more than high temperatures. For an episode to be defined as such, the following conditions must be met: very specific requirements.

It is true that in general a period of high temperatures is known as a heatwave that persists for several days over a wide geographical area. This is a very subjective definition, so each country has its own criteria. In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency determined that the heat wave could be regarded as an episode at least three days in a rowin which at least 10% stations are considered record highs above the 95% percentile of their daily maximum temperature series for the July and August of the period 1971-2000

This definition was established in 2000. Previously, there were other definitions, according to which from 1971 to July 19, 2023 in Spain there was 113 heat waves. There were years like 2017 when there were also many heatwaves. So, there were five of them in total, but there are quite relevant differences from what is happening in 2023. Let’s start with the fact that the first heat wave occurred on June 13, back in spring, but already bordering on summer. On the other hand, we had the warmest spring in 2023 as far as historical records exist. There was no official heatwave, but in a steady manner the temperature was much higher than normal.

As for summer, there are still fewer heat waves in 2023, but the maximum temperatures are much higher than in 2017, when the most intense heat wave had a maximum 41.1ºС.

Except, 2022 was the year with the most heatwave days. It’s impossible to tell if the same will happen in 2023, as summer isn’t over yet, but is heading in the same direction.

What happens in 2023?

It’s true that 3 heat waves are nothing out of the ordinary. It’s been the same for many years. But this summer the warmest in many ways. The heat waves are very long and the temperatures are especially high. And this applies to the whole world, not only to Spain.

In fact, July 2023 was the hottest on Earth on record. This can be seen in data such as the unusual heat wave in South America, where winter. The rest of the Americas, an area that is part of the northern hemisphere, are registering very high temperatures, which can be seen in Canada, where they have had episodes unprecedented forest fires or in Mexico where they experience heatwaves since March last year.

In short, while the number of heatwaves may seem small, 2023 is proving to be a hell of a year that has already broken some of the worst records that could be broken. Climate change will continue to bring us more and more episodes of high temperatures, no matter what they are called. The consequences, if we don’t do something to fix this, will be dire.