Usage Note
Hitzewelle is feminine (die Hitzewelle). Defined meteorologically as a period of several consecutive days above a critical temperature threshold; since the deadly European heatwave of 2003, the term has become central to German climate change discourse and public health planning.
Examples
"Die Hitzewelle hielt zwei Wochen lang an und trocknete die Felder aus."
Natural Translation
The heatwave lasted two weeks and dried out the fields.
Literal Translation
The heatwave held two weeks long on and dried the fields out.

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