Study: Statistically Implausible Heatwaves Occurring More Often, Certain Regions of the Globe at Risk

The Conversation has written an article about a study analyzing statistically implausible heatwaves and the regions most at risk of being impacted. The study, which was originally inspired by the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave, found 31 percent of Earth’s land surface has already experienced a heatwave with outlier temperatures, demonstrating the consequences of utilizing only historical data to create predictions.

The article goes on to state a concern about the public policy consequences for regions that have not experienced unusual heatwaves, as governments don’t tend to plan for such extreme events until after they’ve occurred and already caused significant costs. Afghanistan, Central America, and far eastern Russia were all cited as major areas of concern, as well as Central Europe and most of China. Read more at The Conversation.