intense heatwave

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "intense heatwave" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a period of excessively high temperatures, often associated with dry conditions. For example, "The region experienced an intense heatwave, leading to drought conditions." Alternative expressions include "severe heatwave" and "extreme heatwave."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

The intense heatwave in Russia hit harvests hard.

The Guardian

The rich can always move on if their beachfront home floods or the weather in the Azores or Miami becomes unbearable, as it did last month in Cambodia during "the most intense heatwave ever observed in south-east Asia", where the temperature reached 108.7F (42.6C) for the first time ever recorded.

The Guardian

Millions have been left without power amid an intense heatwave and officials warn that the lack of air conditioning could threaten the very young, old and sick.

BBC

New wildfires erupted Monday near Los Angeles and chased people from their suburban homes as an intense heatwave stretching from the West Coast to New Mexico blistered the region.

Los Angeles Times

Abadi's struggles began last summer, when protesters took to the streets of Baghdad in the middle of an intense heatwave, angry at the government's failure to provide basic services and infrastructure to its people 12 years after the US invasion.

Vice

This notion was supported by a study of the urban heat island effect during an intense heatwave in Oklahoma City.

Global Health Action

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

The truth is climate change has already given us ever more extreme weather, including intense heatwaves and rain storms.

The Guardian - Opinion

A spokesperson said: "Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heatwaves are becomingly increasingly frequent globally due to climate change.

Independent

There will likely be more floods, more droughts and more intense heatwaves, says the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The Guardian

"Examples include greater likelihood of injury, disease, and death due to more intense heatwaves and fires; increased likelihood of under-nutrition resulting from diminished food production in poor regions; and increased risks from food-borne and water-borne disease".

The Guardian

In high mountain ranges across the world from the Caucasus in the north to New Zealand's southern Alps, longer and more intense heatwaves are melting the ice and thawing the permafrost that keeps mountain faces intact, leading to a rise in major landslides.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair this phrase with specific impacts like 'power outages', 'crop devastation' or 'public health warnings' to provide a complete narrative of the event.

Common error

Do not use 'intensive heatwave'. While 'intensive' also suggests depth, it typically refers to a high level of concentration or effort in a specific activity (e.g., 'intensive care' or 'intensive study'). For weather phenomena, "intense heatwave" is the correct collocation to describe the strength of the temperature.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "intense heatwave" acts as a descriptive noun phrase, where the adjective 'intense' modifies the noun 'heatwave' to specify the degree of severity. According to Ludwig AI, this combination is grammatically standard and follows the typical adjective-noun structure used to categorize atmospheric events.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

25%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Social Media

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "intense heatwave" is a robust and linguistically correct phrase used primarily to describe extreme meteorological events. Ludwig AI indicates that it is a common choice for journalists and scientists alike when emphasizing the severity of temperature spikes. While it is categorized as Uncommon in terms of exact matches in the provided dataset, its high match percentage across numerous news and scientific domains confirms its validity as a standard English collocation. Writers should favor this phrase when they wish to highlight the physical strength and devastating potential of heat, ensuring they do not mistakenly substitute it with the word "intensive", which carries a different semantic load.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

severe heatwave

Commonly used in official weather warnings to denote high risk.

extreme heatwave

Emphasizes the record-breaking or dangerous nature of the event.

scorching heatwave

Uses more descriptive, sensory language common in journalism.

record-breaking heatwave

Focuses on the statistical rarity of the temperature event.

unprecedented heatwave

Highlights that such a temperature event has never occurred before.

blistering heat

A more visceral and slightly less formal descriptive phrase.

deadly heatwave

Shifts the focus to the human or biological impact of the weather.

sweltering conditions

Describes the overall atmosphere rather than just the meteorological event.

thermal extreme

A technical or scientific term used in climate studies.

protracted heatwave

Places more emphasis on the duration of the heat rather than just the peak intensity.

FAQs

How do I use 'intense heatwave' in a professional sentence?

You can use it to describe environmental impacts, for example: "The city implemented emergency protocols to protect vulnerable citizens during the "intense heatwave"."

What is the difference between an 'intense heatwave' and a 'severe heatwave'?

While both describe dangerous temperatures, an "intense heatwave" focuses on the magnitude of the heat itself, whereas a "severe heatwave" often implies the level of risk or damage caused.

What can I say instead of 'intense heatwave' for more variety?

Depending on your context, you might use "extreme heatwave", "scorching heatwave", or even "unprecedented heat".

Is 'intense heatwave' a common phrase in news reporting?

Yes, it is a frequent collocation in outlets like The Guardian and BBC when reporting on climate change and extreme weather events.