How severe is the heatwave?
Western Europe has witnessed record-breaking temperatures over the past week. The UK recorded its highest-ever June temperature on Wednesday, while France registered its hottest June day since records began. Spain also experienced its hottest late-June temperatures on record.According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), temperatures across many parts of Europe are expected to remain 3°C to 10°C above average, with several regions likely to record temperatures above 40°C. Researchers estimate that more than 100 million people across Europe were exposed to temperatures above 35°C on Thursday.
“This is the most severe and widespread heatwave to have ever affected this large a region of Europe. We found that in the last 50 years, during which time the planet has warmed by 1.1C, the chance of a heatwave like this has changed immensely,” Dr Theodore Keeping, an extreme weather research associate, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“This event would not have been possible in June without climate change. But do we expect this to be a cool summer going forward? That’s absolutely not the case.”
What is causing the extreme heat?
Researchers said the heatwave is being driven by a “heat dome” — a persistent high-pressure system that traps hot air over Europe while drawing even warmer air northward from the Sahara. While such weather patterns are common during summer, climate change has made them significantly more intense.
The WWA analysis found that a heatwave of this intensity would have been around 2°C cooler in 2003 and nearly 3.5°C cooler in 1976, before global temperatures rose further. “The nighttime temperatures would have been about 2.4°C cooler in June 1976 and about 1.3°C cooler in June 2003,” the study said.
What has been the impact?The heat has disrupted transport, healthcare, education and tourism across Europe. Authorities in France reported dozens of drowning deaths as people sought relief from the heat, while Spain confirmed heatstroke-related fatalities. Several countries have closed schools, shortened working hours for outdoor workers and cancelled sporting events.
Major tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, adjusted their operating hours because of the extreme temperatures. Rail services in parts of the United Kingdom also faced delays and cancellations. Agriculture has also been hit, with reports of hundreds of thousands of birds dying at poultry farms in France because of the heat.
What does the WMO say?
The World Meteorological Organization said the heatwave is affecting millions of people and placing severe pressure on infrastructure, agriculture, ecosystems and public health across Europe.
“Absolute daily maximum temperatures above 35°C and daily minima above 20°C (tropical nights) are expected in many parts on several days, with temperatures locally exceeding 40°C in southwestern Europe,” it said.
The agency warned that warm nights, or “tropical nights”, when temperatures remain above 20°C, pose a serious health risk because the human body is unable to recover from daytime heat.
The WMO said the current heatwave is expected to spread across much of Western, Central and Southern Europe before gradually shifting towards the Balkans in the coming days.
What did the study find?
According to the WWA study, this is the most severe and geographically widespread heatwave ever recorded in Europe. Researchers found that around 45% of Europe’s major cities are experiencing their highest levels of heat stress on record.
They concluded that such an event would not have been possible in June without climate change and warned that, without urgent action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, future heatwaves are likely to become even more severe.
“Climate change is running rampant, caused by the world’s addiction to burning coal, oil and gas. But the solutions are equally clear: a faster shift to clean energy — which is now much cheaper than fossil fuels — as well as protecting forests and building climate resilience,” UN climate chief Simon Stiell said.
