Heatwave
Heatwaves are forecast to increase in frequency in the coming years – By planning and preparing we can reduce the impact they will have upon health and in doing so, will save lives.
Climate change means that heatwaves are likely to become more common in England. By the 2080s, it is predicted that an event similar to that experienced in England in 2003 will happen every year.
In Northern France in August 2003, unprecedentedly high day and night time temperatures for a period of three weeks resulted in 15,000 excess deaths. The vast majority of these were among older people. In the next few years, the risk of a heatwave in England as severe as that in France in 2003 is very low – less than 0.1 per cent. However, with the effects of climate change taking place, the frequency and temperatures of heatwaves are predicted to increase over time.
During relatively mild heatwaves, excess death rates are significantly, but avoidably, higher in this country. Timely preventive measure, such as drinking plenty of water and avoiding being outside in the hottest part of the day scan reduce these excess rates.
In contrast to deaths associated with cold snaps in winter, the rise in mortality as a result of very warm weather follows very sharply – within one or two days of the temperature rising.
This means that:
- by the time a heatwave starts, the window of opportunity for effective action is very short indeed; and therefore
- Proper preparedness is of the essence.