In the United States — where hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are a fact of life — the meteorological phenomenon that kills the most is none other than heat
SHORELINE, WA - JULY 26: Ryan Horner and Owen Amos, firefighter EMTs with the Shoreline Fire Department, treat a homeless man showing symptoms of heat exhaustion on July 26, 2022 in Shoreline, Washington, United States. Image: David Ryder/Getty Images/AFP
Silver Spring, United States: The phone's home screen shows 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32C) in Silver Spring, a suburb of Washington, on a mid-August day. But the reality is more complex — in terms of heat exposure, not all parts of the city are equal.
Maria Velez, 53, knows she is lucky to live next to a creek. A stone's throw from her house, other neighborhoods with small apartment buildings are far more built-up and much less green.
That is the perfect recipe for creating heat islands, recording much higher temperatures sometimes across just a few streets.
The phenomenon is becoming more and more dangerous because of the global climate crisis.
In the United States — where hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are a fact of life — the meteorological phenomenon that kills the most is none other than heat.