Assessing the spatio-temporal distribution of extreme heat events in Mozambique using the CHIRTS temperature dataset for 1983-2016.

The frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing worldwide, posing a significant threat to public health. However, these events have been largely under-reported and understudied across the African continent. Consequently, the nature of extreme heat hazards and the impacts of such events across Africa remain largely unknown. This research aims to address this research gap by characterising extreme heat events and their trends for Mozambique using the high- resolution remotely sensed CHIRTS-daily temperature data for 1983-2016. The results can be used for heat impact assessments and development of heat early warning system for Mozambique and other data-scarce regions

Heatwaves in Mozambique 1983–2016: Characteristics, trends and city-level summaries using high-resolution CHIRTS-daily

The intensity, frequency, and duration of heatwaves are increasing worldwide. Still, heatwaves are systematically underreported and underresearched across the African continent. This study examines heatwaves across Mozambique, a country highly vulnerable to a variety of climate risks yet where heatwaves have received little to no attention. A spatio-temporal analysis was conducted for five heatwave characteristics (heatwave number, frequency, duration, amplitude, and magnitude) and corresponding trends from 1983 to 2016. This was done using the remotely sensed CHIRTS-daily, which presents one of the most accurate and highest resolution (5 × 5 km) daily temperature product currently available, especially for data-scarce regions. Three heatwave definitions were analyzed and compared, which are based on (1) the 90th percentile of daily maximum temperature (TX90), (2) the 90th percentile of daily minimum temperature (TN90), and (3) the Excess Heat Factor (EHF). Results were overlayed with high-resolution population data to obtain heatwave exposure and likely potential implications. Our findings show that Mozambique has experienced many heatwaves over the past decades. On average, 2–18.6 annual heatwave days (HWF) were recorded with the longest heatwaves (HWD) lasting X- 11.5 days. More and longer heatwaves were observed in the North and along the coast of Mozambique. Heatwave magnitude (HWM) ranged from 0.3 to 6.8 °C and amplitude (HWA) from 0.8 to 11.7 °C, with highest values in South and Central Mozambique. Heatwave events, days, and duration were found to be significantly increasing (

Extreme heat alerts and impacts across Mozambique 2016 - 2022: Gathering evidence from media articles

Heatwaves are increasing around the world and cause a range of devastating societal impacts. Effective communication during a heatwave enables the general public to prepare and, if possible, take the necessary actions. In many African countries, the recognition of heatwaves and appropriate action to reduce heat risk remains absent. In this study, extreme heat and heat-related impacts across Mozambique were analyzed across space and time by using text from media sources. Alerts were obtained by performing a broad word search across four popular media outlets (Club of Mozambique, Rádio Moçambique, O País, and Televisão de Moçambique). Between 2016 and 2022, 79 heat alerts and 12 posts on impacts were found. When mapped, a disproportionate number of articles were found for Southern provinces compared to Northern provinces. Communication of heat alerts were consistent across media outlets and included the maximum temperature forecasted and geographic locations affected. A majority of the messages (91%) did not include information on how to respond and the type of actions to take to reduce risk. Our findings provide spatio-temporal insights into extreme heat and impacts, and highlight the urgent need for an improved heatwave early warning system across Mozambique