Should we name heatwaves as we do other extreme weather events?

As global heating makes sweltering temperatures more common, raising awareness is crucial - but climate scientists don't necessarily agree on how and when it should be doneIn a world that's learning how to deal with higher temperatures and more frequent hot spells, experts are debating whether we should name heatwaves in the same way we name tropical storms. The discussion was brought to the fore in Europe this July, when the name Cerberus - unofficially given by a private Italian weather service to the heatwave on the continent - quickly went viral. Its popularity highlighted important unresolved questions - as to who does the naming, what the threshold to name an event is, and what the larger strategy behind the naming is - that, in comparison, took decades to settle for storms.When a storm's wind speed passes 39 mph (63 km/h), it is given a name from a predetermined list that countries from the relevant region have compiled. The most severe of these events are known as hurricanes near the Americas, typhoons in the north-west Pacific and cyclones in the Indian Ocean basin and south-west Pacific. Continue reading...