PAHO issues warning about heatwaves

| 16/07/2019 | 14 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): With weather forecasters calling for a heatwave this summer in the Caribbean region, as well as in Europe and other parts of the northern hemisphere, the Pan-American Health Organization is urging countries to come up with contingency plans to address the potential impact on people’s health and save lives. This current heatwave is expected to increase drought-induced stress, lead to forest fires and heatstroke, which can kill.

PAHO warns that people with chronic diseases who take daily medications have a greater risk of complications and death during a heatwave, as do older people and children. Reactions to heat depends on each person’s ability to adapt, and serious effects can appear suddenly.

The current heatwave, which has hit Europe particularly hard, is impacting many other areas, including our own. Meteorologists have said that 2019 is set to be another one of the hottest years on record, making the last five-year period the hottest since scientists began recording annual global temperature.

Scientists also said this heatwave is “absolutely consistent” with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and is a sample of what is likely to become the new normal for summer in the northern half of the planet.

Here in Cayman, weather experts have confirmed that temperatures are higher than normal and we can expect that to continue throughout this month and next. According to a recent Caribbean climate outlook, the peak heat stress in this region is likely to be experienced between August and September.

For more information visit the Cayman Islands National Weather Service

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Category: Health, Medical Health, Science & Nature, Weather

Comments (14)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Cayman govt has prepared for heat waves by yet again allowing CUC the hike their rates just before summer. The human body is not able to cool itself above 95F so its die of heat or pay CUC for that ac.

  2. Anonymous says:

    OMG. Every year, all my relatives that were born and raised here declare “it’s NEVER been THIS hot!!!” Bullcrap. Look at the numbers for all three islands. We are always within the mean.

  3. Windbag says:

    Step 1 – cut the length of speeches in the L.A.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Plant more trees, we can help cool the place down a little and lock up more CO2.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    LOL, more scare stories. They just had a ‘heatwave’ warning in the UK because temps were going to creep into the low 90s. The next week it felt like Autumn. If you want heat try 100F+ all day April to October with very little ease up at night and spikes to 130F. I worked in those conditions and the real kicker is that in the Winter months it goes down to freezing.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Cool story bro.

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    • Anonymous says:

      4:09 Your comment is idiotic.
      Alaska’s exceptional heat wave delivers state’s hottest days on record. Never ever temperature reached 90 in Alaska before.

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    • Anonymous says:

      4:09, NYC will have 108 F this weekend blowing all heat records out of the water.

      Only a fool who does not want to look at temperature data for the past 10 years believes climate change is not happening.

      But yes, it will be cooler in the winter.

    • Anonymous says:

      trust science…not youtube fake news.

    • Anonymous says:

      July will be the most record breaking month for heat records throughout America and Canada. Average general temperatures have been going up in North America for the past 10 years.

      These are simply facts that are quantifiable not fake news.

      The science is correct. We are heating up worldwide.

  6. Anonymous says:

    no one to blame but mankinds greed!

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