8a.4
Decadal changes in the frequency of United States heat waves
Peter J. Robinson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Heat waves are often cited as the major cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. With concern for global warming, it can be postulated that they are likely to increase in frequency. However, no comprehensive climatological analysis of their average frequency, duration, distribution, or intensity, nor of temporal changes, has been undertaken. This is partly because there has not been an adequate definition of a heat wave. A definition is proposed here, based on a combination of the National Weather Service heat stress warning criteria and exceedence thresholds derived from historical temperature and humidity information. Using the definition, changes in heat wave characteristics between decades are assessed, and estimates of the overall long-term trends developed.
Session 8a, Spatial and Temporal Climatologies of Extreme Heat Occurrence (Parallel with Sessions 8B and J3)
Thursday, 11 May 2000, 8:00 AM-10:20 AM
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