Increased risk of heat stress to human health in Romania since the mid-1980s

Both an index for winter wind chill and an index for summer thermal stress showed a significant upward trend over the entire country for the period 1962−2010 (except for some areas for winter wind chill), with a significant upward shift around the mid-1980s.

The strong increase in the frequency of extremely high values for summer thermal stress indicates an increased risk to human health during summers in Romania since the mid-1980s. At the same time, however, the upward trend in winter wind chill indicates a decreased risk of human health during winters in Romania. These changes seem to be mainly a consequence of global warming. 

Source: Dobrinescu et al., 2015. Climate Research 64: 213–226. 

Photo: Ville Miettinens (www.flickr.com)