UNITED NATIONS: The climate change scenarios predict that heatwaves will become more intense, more frequent and longer.

It is notable that the time between major heatwaves (2003, 2010, and 2015) is getting shorter,” a United Nations World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) spokesman said on Monday.

“The heatwave is still ongoing and it is premature to say whether it can be attributed to climate change or whether it is due to naturally occurring climate variability,” stated Omar Baddour, who coordinates WMO’s World Climate Data and Monitoring Programme.

In Pakistan, the heatwave which caused more than 1,200 deaths in Karachi recently, was aggravated by a low pressure system off the coast, which meant that the usual cooling coastal breeze was replaced by hot air coming from interior, WMO press release said.

According to the authorities, temperatures remain high, but the situation has stabilized. Parts of Pakistan have seen the onset of the monsoon.

Many parts of Europe have been affected by a severe and unusually early heatwave since 27 June, said WMO warning of record-breaking temperatures and wildfires in North America and torrential downpours and widespread flooding in southern China. In a press release issued over the weekend, WMO noted the extreme weather events currently taking place in the northern hemisphere.

An initial analysis conducted by WMO’s Regional Climate Centre in Europe shows that many parts of the continent will continue to see above normal temperatures and dry conditions. The heatwave is unusual because it is so early and so widespread, drawing comparisons with the 2003 and 2010 summers, during which tens of thousands of people died.

The difference is that the 2015 heatwave is much earlier and Europe much better prepared with heat-health action plans. WMO and the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) on 1 July issued joint guidance on heat-health early warning systems, drawing to a considerable extent on the expertise and experience gained in Europe since the 2003 heatwave.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015

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