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Heatwaves in the UK may start to be given names in a trial this year.

With the Met Office already naming storms, a committee of MPs thinks doing the same for heatwaves will similarly increase awareness and communication.

The 2022 summer heatwave was one of the most intense recorded in the UK, and caused 4,500 heat-related deaths.

Up to 10,000 people in the UK could die every year by 2050 from heat-related illnesses if no action is taken to adapt to our warming climate.

The UK's highest temperature of 40.3C was recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire during the heatwave in summer 2022. The heatwave resulted in 4,500 excess deaths according to the Office for National Statistics.

Throughout Europe the number of deaths from excessive heat that summer was close to 70,000.

Professor Jason Lowe, Head of Climate Services at the Met Office, told the Commons Environmental Audit committee that the record 2022 summer would happen "on average, every other summer" by mid-century and that, if global emissions remain high, later this century "that type of [summer] becomes a cool summer".

Intense heatwaves are becoming more frequent as global average temperatures rise.

In September 2023 the temperature reached 30C for seven consecutive days making it the longest and hottest September heatwave in the UK on record.

It is expected that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, likely exceeding 2023, where temperatures were 1.48C above the pre-industrial average.

This could make it the first time the global average temperature goes above the nominal 1.5C Paris Agreement benchmark.

Although, it is worth pointing out this in itself wouldn't breach the agreement as it is based on this limit being sustained over a number a years.

Our bodies strive to keep a core temperature of about 37C.

As the weather gets hotter, the body has to work harder to keep its core temperature down. It opens more blood vessels near the skin to lose heat to our surroundings, and also starts sweating.

As sweat evaporates it dramatically increases the heat lost from the skin.

This process can impact the circulation, nervous and respiratory systems and increase risk of illness or death from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

The World Weather Attribution organisation suggests that heat is a more invisible threat when compared to other weather or climate impacts such as tropical cyclones or floods.

Some scientists have labelled it as the "silent killer" and amongst the deadliest natural hazards.

A Lancet review in 2021 estimated that around half a million people die globally due to excessive heat every year.

Under a high warming scenario with no action to adapt to climate change, the UK Health Security Agency say there could be up to 10,000 excess deaths annually by the middle of this century.

Everyone is at risk of the consequences of heatwaves but people over 65, young children, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions are particularly vulnerable.

Those who also work in outdoor environments such as construction and agriculture are also at increased risk.

It has been shown that giving a name to severe weather increases the communication and importantly the action people take to protect themselves and property.

The Met Office started naming autumn and winter storms in 2015 to increase awareness and it is now common to hear about named storms, such as the three - Henk, Isha and Jocelyn - the UK experienced in January 2024.

Professor Lea Berrang Ford of the UK Health Security Agency told the Environmental Audit Committee there is insufficient evidence that naming heatwaves is effective.

However, the European heatwave of 2023 was named Cerberus by an Italian meteorological service after the three-headed monster referred to in Greek mythology and Dante's Inferno.

Cerberus went viral with many European media outlets using the name in reporting and communicating risks associated with the heat.

Among its recommendations, the Audit Committee suggest that the Met Office trial naming heatwaves in 2024 with a view that if successful, it is adopted permanently.

The Met Office has told ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Weather that in time it is inevitable that the UK will experience more heatwaves with temperatures above 40C and it welcomes the report highlighting awareness of heatwaves.

Grahame Madge, Met Office climate spokesperson, said "We are already working with government and other agencies to increase the UK's resilience to these events now and in the future" and that they "will review the report and recommendations made".

Regardless of whether a heatwave is named or not, there is clear evidence that improved communication of the risks of extreme heat and action to take will save lives.

In 2023 the UK's Health Security Agency in partnership with the Met Office expanded the to describe expected impacts and how to deal with it.

This system now better complements the Met Office's Severe Weather Warning Service who are responsible for issuing warnings for heat.

There may also need to be a shift in our cultural attitudes to heat.

Rather than viewing a warm spell as a pleasant period of weather for people to enjoy, people in the UK might need to become more aware that when heat becomes extreme, there are increased health risks.