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Record high temperatures, red alerts and no respite: Europe heatwave continues to set alarming records
As per the World Meteorological Organisation, the continent saw extreme heat and is now bracing for more.
After setting alarmingly high heat records in May and June, Europe is bracing for the heatwave to strike again. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the continent experienced extreme heat and is now bracing for more.
Countries across Europe saw temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius and higher. As per the UN weather agency, Germany recorded an alarming new high of 41.7 degrees Celsius.
France saw its highest of 43.8 degrees Celsius near Pulluau in the western region, and in Hungary, the hottest day in June stood at 40.7 degrees Celsius.
Countries such as the UK, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain also saw temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, at least 3,700 deaths have been recorded in France, Belgium and the Netherlands due to the heatwave in June.
Of these, France recorded 2,025 excess deaths, Belgium reported 1,222 deaths, and the Netherlands saw 480 excess deaths.
Sweltering days and warmer nights
Amid the global heatwave, many countries have been experiencing warmer nights. Be it due to the heat dome effect or the urban island effect, temperatures at night have stopped going below 20 degrees Celsius.
In Europe, the nights have become increasingly hotter. In the UK's Cardiff region, nighttime temperatures did not drop below 23.5 degrees Celsius, marking the warmest night in June in the UK.
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"Minimum temperatures can be more telling than the peak afternoon high. A day that reaches 38°C but drops to 18°C overnight is very different from a day that reaches 36°C and stays above 25°C through the night. The second scenario carries a much higher health risk,” said Armel Castellan, Extreme Heat Services Technical Advisor of the WHO-WMO Climate and Health Joint Office, to the WMO.
El Niño impact
As per the World Meteorological Organisation, the El Niño is forecast to intensify, hence increasing the likelihood of extreme weather.
According to the Global Seasonal Climate Update issued by the UN agency, El Niño is expected to warm ocean temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, with seasonal-average sea-surface temperature anomalies exceeding 2°C in key monitoring regions.
“El Niño conditions are already underway and are forecast to strengthen rapidly into a strong event - as accurately anticipated by WMO forecasts. This will intensify the chances of drought and heavy rainfall and the risk of heatwaves on land and marine heatwaves in many regions of the world,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
