Impact on Climate thermal comfort handbook volume i
found to be related to incidences of malaria in South America, rift valley fever in east Africa, dengue fever
in Thailand, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the south-western USA, childhood diarrheal disease in
Peru and cholera in Bangladesh [23].
There have also been instances of such heat luctuations leading to an increase in tornadoes
and wind storms. On one hand, in the USA, air mass temperature contrast leads to creation of a
powerful jet stream in the upper atmosphere and this jet stream in turn provides wind shear, which
serves as a source of rotation for tornadoes [27].
On the other hand, in Europe, wind speeds have signiicantly increased over the second half of the
twentieth century [28]. Even though the increase in wind speeds has led to an increase in wind energy
generation in certain regions, this effect has led to an overall increase in both the frequency and the
amount of wind storms across Europe.
Another dimension of the effect of UHI can be felt in terms of the economy and the increase in
consumption of both renewable and non-renewable energies. A study found that during the summer
months, especially during days when the UHI effect is at its peak water consumption within Phoenix,
Arizona increased by 60 [29]. A similar study towards electricity consumption demonstrated a
strong co-relation between higher temperatures and an increase in electricity demand [30].