Forget Storm Eunice... is it time for Henry the Heatwave?

HEATWAVES could soon be named – just as storms hitting the UK have been for the past seven years.

the Met Office has confirmed it is discussing the idea as a way to raise awareness of the dangers of sustained hot weather after last week’s sweltering temperatures across the country.

storms began being named to increase awareness of their potential danger after storm Abigail left 20,000 homes without power in 2015. And storm Eunice made headlines earlier this year as it caused chaos across the country. ‘People just don’t realise that heatwaves are very dangerous,’ Professor Hannah cloke, a climate scientist at the University of Reading said.

‘We should be doing anything we can to raise awareness in the same way as we do for storms,’ she told the sunday times.

Respiratory and cardiovascular deaths increase during hot weather, while road

‘These are silent disasters’

traffic accidents and drowning also rise, according to Office for National statistics analysis. Between 1,000 and 3,000 people die every year as a result of high temperatures. the UK Health security Agency said last summer there were 1,634 excess deaths in England in two hot spells – eight days in July and four days in september.

Around 1,470 of the deceased were aged 65 and over. In three hot spells the previous summer, 2,556 people died – 2,244 of whom were over the age of 65.

Dr Liz stephens, associate professor in climate risks and resilience at the University of Reading, said many of these deaths are never heard about.

‘these are silent disasters,’ she said. ‘You don’t really see it until months afterwards when the data emerges. Naming heatwaves could be a useful way of making this part of the narrative.’

A heatwave is officially three consecutive days above a certain temperature threshold, which varies regionally.