A US National Weather Service depiction of the formation of a heat wave (Public domain)
A recent article in the New York Times asks an important question: “Could assigning names to heat waves, the way officials do for hurricanes and tropical storms, help protect people from the warming climate?” In her article, Jenny Gross explores pros and cons of applying names to heat waves. While applying names to hurricanes and tropical storms increased a sense of awareness and urgency with these storms, it is also just as likely that applying names to additional weather phenomena might dilute the message overall. Read more at the New York Times.