Tenants may be disclosing more than they need to, Whangārei councillors hold stance on fluoridation and the BSA welcomes consultation to media changes. Video / NZ Herald
Hamilton’s recent run of hot days likely beats anything the city has experienced since temperature records began, says a climate scientist.
The place once dubbed the City of the Future by a marketing campaign is experiencing a taste of its own climate future with a run of hot days, which senior climate scientist Luke Harrington says is probably unprecedented.
“The last 10 days, actually now 11, have been the hottest continuous 10 or 11 days stretch certainly of the records that I have available. They go back to the early 1990s, but I think if you went further back in time they would still remain the worst on record.”
The University of Waikato lecturer said this kind of event will become more common, because of the blanket of human-made greenhouse gases heating the planet.
But consecutive days of sweltering heat do not always meet the criteria for a heat alert, so outdoor exercisers, the elderly, those working in rest homes and those with young kids may need to make their own preparations.
Heat stress already kills more than a dozen New Zealanders a year and raises the rate of hospitalisations because of heart strain and other factors.
Harrington’s previous research found cities with smaller temperature ranges - such as Auckland and Hamilton - may face higher heat-related health risks, because their temperatures were more even, making hot spells more relentless.
He said sustained hot periods can sneak under the radar of the heat alert system, and that extreme hot day warnings were better at capturing one extreme day or a few extreme days in cities such as Christchurch, where temperatures can swing wildly.
“It might not sound that dramatic but it’s basically been consistently sitting between about 28 and 30 degrees Celsius and it hasn’t dropped below 27 for coming on 11 days. When you combine lower wind and humidity into the mix the heat stress can start to be pretty pronounced.”
MetService forecaster Lewis Ferris said MetService issued a warning when temperatures were close to maximum for a particular city, which across most of the North Island meant above 30C. (Places such as Gisborne and Central Otago are higher).
“The heat alerts that MetService has been trailing over the last few summers are designed to capture those very hot days, so we’re not talking record heat - although record heat would fall under those heat alerts, but it’s not just your standard hot day either.”
Only one day in Hamilton’s recent run topped 30C.
But that did not mean it had been comfortable.
Ferris said Hamilton’s typical February maximum temperature was 25C, and so far they had not had a day below 27C.
Hamilton has been hit by a heat wave. Photo / Getty Images
He said people should watch the next day’s forecast and plan if needed. For example, going running early or late in the day, being mindful of where you park the car if you need to run errands and leave a pet inside, staying hydrated and seeking shade.
Hamilton City Council said it was preparing for rising heat, including looking at providing cool shelters in facilities such as libraries.
Council climate change manager Charlotte Catmur said part of the council strategy’s for climate change was being ready for future climate.
The council had been studying community flooding risks for a while, but “heat is relatively new for us,” she said.
“We’re hoping to get that up and running soon.
“We also know we need to be doing stuff now, because we are already seeing these hot days.”
That included having an emergency response plan for extreme heat.
“Also in the background we are preparing for where people should be going to, what locations we have in the community that are cooler. So looking at what we have in place, where our libraries are and other cooler places.”
Catmur said Bachelor of Climate Change students from University of Waikato had looked at the city’s tree canopy and where vulnerable populations such as elderly people live.
She was also keeping in touch with council counterparts in Melbourne, about what they had done to prepare for heat.
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