Reuters has launched The Age of Heat Storms, a data-driven investigation into supersized heat waves reshaping lives, infrastructure and ecosystems worldwide.
Analysing more than 65 years of hourly temperatures across 1.04 million global grid squares, the team found heat storms now average about 102 a year, compared with roughly five in the 1960s.
The largest recorded event, Heat Storm Vera, lasted 367 days from 29th July 2023 and covered almost 85% of the planet, touching virtually every person on Earth.
Reuters defines a heat storm as a heat wave covering at least 1% of the planet at its peak. “A heat storm differs from a heat wave much like a hurricane differs from a tropical storm,” said Maurice Tamman, Reuters journalist.
The series includes a methodology explainer and a real-time Heat Storm Tracker
