Context
The Hot Days index is relevant to human health. This index is based on daily maximum temperature and is part of the Extreme Heat Hazard type of the Heat and Cold category of the classification.
High values of maximum temperature cause physiological discomfort during periods of high temperatures by causing heat stress on body temperature.
A higher value indicates more Hot Days and thus more stress on human health caused by extreme maximum temperatures.
Definition
The count of days when daily maximum temperature remains above 30°C (days). In weather and climate models temperature is the variable simulating atmospheric air temperature at 2m above the surface. This Index is usually presented as annual, seasonal or monthly values over a reference period.
Data Sources
The data was assembled on behalf of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) based on climate projections hosted on the C3S Climate Data Store (CDS). The Index is calculated from the ERA5 reanalysis and a set of nine bias-corrected multi-model simulations from the EURO-CORDEX experiment. These simulations have a spatial resolution of 0.25° x 0.25°, a 3-hourly output, and cover scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. More information about the dataset can be found in the corresponding CDS documentation resources.
Supporting Information
Further information about this application can be found in the ECDE application User Guide and the Data and datasets underpining the ECDE. Related information can also be found on other sections of the EEA site:
- The Index based interactive EEA report: Heat and cold — extreme heat (link).