There is also an absence of data for other types of extreme weather in Africa, such as drought, heavy rains and major storms. "The problem is not the absence of weather data per se," senior author Friederike Otto, director of the Environmental Change Institute, told AFP. Climate models show that sub-Saharan Africa is going to be disproportionately affected by worsening heatwaves due to climate change, and the current lack of data hampers the region's ability to prepare, she said. "Without assessing impact data and weather data together, you don't know how an early warning system should be designed." In tropical and sub-tropical Africa, heatwaves can last longer.

Source: Standard Digital July 14, 2020 07:52 UTC