By Maurice Tamman, Ben Welsh, Pete Mckenzie, Charlie Szymanski, Delgerzaya Delgerjargal, Robbie Corey-Boulet, Loucoumane Coulibaly, Jeff Horwitz and Joan Faus
In less than a lifetime, about six and a half decades, heat waves have evolved from sporadic, isolated episodes to massive, cascading weather events that can blanket vast swaths of the planet for months or even years at a time.
