Beware Heatwave Zoe: Seville To Name Extreme Hot Weather

The southern Spanish city of Seville is to become the first in the world to name and classify heatwaves - much as tropical storms or hurricanes are named in other parts of the world - in an attempt to protect residents as extreme heat becomes more frequent.

- Ashifa Kassam

The year-long pilot project now under way in one of Spain's hottest cities will classify heatwaves into three categories and give them names including Zoe and Vega.

The initiative is part of a broader set of measures, from emissions reductions and decarbonisation, aimed at countering climate change, said the city's mayor Antonio Muñoz.

"We are the first city in the world to take a step that will help us plan and take measures when this type of meteorological event happens - particularly because heatwaves always hit the most vulnerable," Muñoz said.