Experts in Greece want to start naming and ranking heat waves similarly to storms.
The Athens National Observatory thinks the move will help the public and officials better understand the dangers posed by extreme weather events.
"We believe that people will be better prepared to deal with an upcoming weather event when the event has a name," says Dr. Costas Lagouvardos, research director at the Observatory.
In early August, temperatures in northern Greece reached 47.1 degrees Celsius - breaking the country's record for the highest temperature ever. Athens is already the hottest metropolis of continental Europe and the country is expected to experience a lot of extreme heat and drought in the future.
"Naming and categorizing heat waves according to severity would help people better understand them and the danger they pose," says Eleni Myrivili, global warming adviser. "It would also enable decision-makers to promote policies that would best protect the population."
"Heat is a silent killer," says Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Throne-Rock Resilience Center.
She says the heat is quietly killing more people than any other climatic phenomenon - especially in countries that are not accustomed to such high temperatures.
"If there's a name, a hashtag, media coverage, then people pay attention," Baughman McLeod explains.
Sources: The Observer, Euronews
