What causes heatwaves and what are their environmental impacts?

A heatwave happens when the weather stays very hot for many days, like when you leave your favorite snack in the sun all day and it becomes super warm.

Imagine the Earth is like a big cookie baking in the oven, the Sun is the oven. When the Sun shines really strongly on the Earth, it makes everything hot. If there’s not much wind or rain to cool things down, the heat stays for a long time, and that's a heatwave.

During a heatwave, plants get very hot, just like you when you're playing outside all day in the sun. They might need more water to stay alive. Sometimes they even get tired and stop growing as much, it’s like being thirsty and not getting a drink.

Animals also feel the heat. Some of them might move to cooler places, or they might become sleepy because they’re too hot. Just like how you might want to take a nap after running around in the sun!

The ground can get really hot too, and sometimes it feels like walking on fire! The air gets thick and hard to breathe, it’s like trying to blow up a balloon that’s already full of air.