As Europe braces for sweltering temperatures this week, the UN said on Tuesday that it has no plans to begin naming heatwaves in the same way as Atlantic hurricanes.
Storms are given names throughout the annual Atlantic hurricane season to make it simpler to recognise them in warning messages and to promote clear communication.
A similar system for heatwaves, according to the World Meteorological Organization of the UN, is not in the works.
Heatwaves are more regionalized, whereas tropical cyclones are large systems that affect several nations, according to WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis.
There are initiatives by some cities to give heatwaves names, but there isn’t currently a coordinated effort to do so.
We do not currently have a naming system, nor is one anticipated any time soon.
Seville in southern Spain, where temperatures last month reached 40 degrees Celsius, will be the first place in the world to officially name and categorise heatwaves.
The June announcement of a pilot programme aims to increase public awareness and quickly initiate emergency measures in the event of a heatwave alert.
The initials of the first five will be Zoe, Yago, Xenia, Wenceslao, and Vega.
The WMO oversees hurricane names. They are repurposed every six years, but if a particularly severe hurricane occurs, the name is retired and changed.
Additionally, the Pacific and Indian Oceans employ naming conventions.
