‘Zoe’ Becomes World’s First Named Heatwave, Taking Cue From Hurricanes

Ever wondered why hurricanes seem to be the only natural disasters bestowed with individual names? Well, with how severe temperatures have gotten across Europe, the city of Seville in Spain has decided it’s time to name the first-ever heatwave.

Not-so-affectionately named ‘Zoe’, the surge in thermometer readings has seen the southern part of the nation face intense heat over the week, particularly in the region of Andalusia, which includes Seville. 

The city had decided last month that it would launch a pilot program to name and rank heatwaves, much like we do with hurricanes, with those deemed as severe enough being named in reverse alphabetical order, starting with ‘Zoe’, ‘Yago’, ‘Xenia’, ‘Wenceslao’, and ‘Vega’.

According to Scientific American, the new tier system will trigger different sets of emergency responses based on the level of threat, such as issuing weather alerts, opening cooling centers, or sending health teams to check on more vulnerable people. 

As per TIME, messages referring to a heatwave with a personalized name could help residents, businesses, and government departments in the region take more action to mitigate the risks.

While it may not be certain that people react better to named climate issues, those in the surrounding area will finally have someone to blame for the spike in heat: Zoe.

[via Scientific American and TIME, cover image Günter Albers | Dreamstime.com]