You have undoubtedly seen the term these days: heat power. A new approach to warn people during hot days. At the same time, there are also critical voices, because is this a new form of patronizing or sowing panic?
RTV Drenthe weatherman Gert Voerman responds firmly: I think this is positive. According to him, one day with 30 degrees cannot simply be compared with another hot day.
“You have a heat wave with five days of 25 degrees or higher, with three days above 30 degrees. But if it is 30 degrees and the air is very dry, then the way it feels is not too bad. Then people also say: what do you mean by a heat wave?”
According to Voerman, humidity plays a major role. “If it is very high, then it is very stuffy and people have difficulty dissipating their heat, then it is a completely different story.”
The RTV Drenthe weatherman says that is precisely what makes the heat power scale so strong. “It also takes into account humidity, but also sun strength and wind. So not just temperature.”
The heat force scale ranges from 1 to 10. The KNMI weather institute has determined this measure together with the TNO research institute and the public health organization RIVM.
“We are at a 7 on that scale today, says Gert Voerman. “That means that the conditions are quite difficult. Tomorrow we will go to an 8. The KNMI expects that a 10 will rarely occur.”
Even though the weatherman is enthusiastic about the approach, he understands the reactions of people who think it is an exaggerated hassle. “Well, all the advice may feel very logical. But I think this can have added value, especially because heat waves are expected to become more intense.”
“The system does take some time to integrate,” says Voerman. “In any case, I include it in my weather reports to help people get used to this.” He expects that event organizations in particular will benefit from the heat force warnings to better estimate whether an event can go ahead or not.
GGD Drenthe also supports the new approach. “This system is intended to be very helpful, so we are not against it,” says a spokesperson. “In our advice, we also looked at humidity and wind, for example, to determine how the heat can affect your body.”
GGD Drenthe has an advisory role at events in case of heat. “Ultimately it is a municipality that decides whether it will continue or not. And of course we share information via our heat protocol,” says GGD Drenthe.
According to the GGD, no questions from events had been received before noon. The organization takes into account that these will still come.
According to weatherman Voerman, tomorrow will be the hottest day and it seems like it will be quite warm again on Monday and Tuesday. “You can actually only release the heat force properly one or two days in advance, but I expect it to remain quite high next week.”