Weather Intelligence’s New Heatwave Methodology
The team at Weather Intelligence has been working on a new heatwave warning methodology that could fill the gap for many locations where humidity plays an important role in managing heat.
The new methodology was tested at several locations this summer. The analysis showed that at a site in western Brisbane, a severe heatwave occurred on four days this summer when factors other than temperature were considered. By comparison, only low-severity heatwaves were identified based on temperature alone for said site.
The methodology is based on the Bureau of Meteorology heatwave warning methodology (Nairn and Fawcett, 2015), but instead of using temperature, it uses apparent temperature (or “feels like” temperature). This way, the methodology incorporates humidity and wind given that they are two very important factors to consider when understanding heat stress risk. You can read more about the importance of accounting for humidity in a heatwave assessment from Australia’s pre-eminent heat stress consultant, Dr Matt Brearley here.
The new heatwave warning method compares a three-day average (covering the last 2 days and today) to the long-term climate average for a site and also to the average temperatures over the past 30 days, to determine an excess heat factor. The severity of the event is also site-dependent and takes into consideration the long-term climate.
Christine Killip, CEO of Weather Intelligence, believes this will fill the gap in the northern half of the country when it comes to heatwave warnings.
We intend to incorporate the new heatwave methodology into our existing Weather Risk Management Platform, Kite, by next summer.
Figure 1 – Heatwave Severity for Western Brisbane
Figure 2 – Heatwave Severity for the Darling Downs
Figure 3 – Heatwave Severity for Emerald
More information about Kite can be found here https://weatherintelligence.global/kite-by-weather-intelligence/ or call the Brisbane office (07 3369 3699) and talk to one of the team about accessing a free trial.