Heat Waves Could Soon Have Names

There's a growing effort to name and categorize heat waves the way we do hurricanes -- to call attention to their significance, alert people to dangerous temperatures and prod public officials into action. From a report: Excessive heat -- which hits low-income communities the hardest -- doesn't lend itself to dramatic TV coverage, so people sometimes underestimate the risk. Proponents of a more formal public warning system say it could save lives and trigger measures like opening community cooling stations and asking people to stay indoors. This month Seville, Spain is poised to become the first city to start naming severe heat waves. Five other cities -- Los Angeles; Miami; Milwaukee; Kansas City, Missouri; and Athens -- have also started piloting a similar initiative, using weather data and public health criteria to categorize heat waves. They'll use a three-category system that organizers want to standardize. Each city's system will be tailored to its particular climate. A "category three" heat wave in L.A., for example, will look and feel quite different from the same designation in Milwaukee.

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