Heat waves are among the most significant climatic hazards, affecting various dimensions of human life, infrastructure, and the environment. Therefore, identifying, simulating, and projecting the future behavior of this phenomenon plays a crucial role in risk management and climate-related planning. In the present study, heat-wave events across eleven western provinces of Iran during the period 1990–2020 were analyzed using temperature- and humidity-based indices. After detecting the heat-wave episodes, their return periods were estimated using the Gumbel distribution, and the associated synoptic patterns were subsequently identified. All statistical analyses were carried out in the MATLAB environment. The findings indicate that short-duration heat waves exhibit a higher probability of occurrence in the western provinces, whereas long-lasting (persistent) heat waves are relatively rare. The temporal assessment further reveals that the frequency of heat-wave events is higher during the cold seasons (autumn and winter) compared with the warm seasons (spring and summer). The spatial distribution demonstrates that western Kermanshah and southern Zanjan experience the highest intensity and frequency of heat-wave events, while lower values are observed in West Azerbaijan and Fars Provinces. Moreover, the long-term trend analysis shows a significant increase in the frequency, duration, and persistence of heat waves over the study period, suggesting an intensification of heat-related hazards in the near future.