Europe faces more frequent, prolonged extreme heat, WMO warns

Europe is facing more frequent and prolonged extreme heat, with climate change making heatwaves increasingly intense and widespread, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.

Parts of Europe are experiencing their fifth heatwave of the summer, as drought, wildfires and record temperatures continue to place pressure on communities and infrastructure.

“Extreme heat is becoming more frequent, more intense, it's lasting longer, and covering much wider areas than in the cooler climates of the past,” John Kennedy, the WMO’s head of climate information, told reporters in Geneva.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, and Kennedy said this summer’s conditions are being driven by a combination of persistent high-pressure systems and a warmer climate.

These systems can trap hot air over large areas, reduce cloud cover and prevent cooler air from moving in, allowing temperatures to climb for days or even weeks.

A stark contrast with 1976

Kennedy pointed to the famously hot summer of 1976 as an example of how Europe’s climate has changed over the past five decades.

While the atmospheric patterns seen in June 1976 were broadly similar to those seen this year, temperatures then were less extreme and the heat was far less widespread because the planet was considerably cooler.

“The picture for 1976 is one of a few isolated areas above average temperatures in a much cooler world,” Kennedy said. Today, he added, “the picture is reversed”, with much of the world experiencing above-average temperatures and only limited areas remaining cooler.

Hot seas and dry soil add to the heat

Unusually warm seas are also helping to push temperatures higher across Europe. Marine heatwaves in the Mediterranean and waters to the west of the continent are providing additional warmth that can reinforce persistent high-pressure systems.

Dry soils are making matters worse. Once the ground loses moisture, it heats up more quickly, sending more heat into the atmosphere rather than using energy to evaporate water.

“Lots of these factors are coming together to give us the record heat that we’re seeing this year,” Kennedy said.

El Niño not driving this summer’s heat

Unlike some previous periods of exceptional global warmth, El Niño is not contributing to Europe’s heat this year.

The naturally occurring climate pattern, which can temporarily raise global temperatures, is currently absent, with neutral conditions prevailing in the tropical Pacific.

The WMO’s assessment highlights how Europe’s increasingly extreme summer heat is being driven primarily by the long-term warming of the planet, combined with atmospheric and local conditions that can intensify individual heatwaves.

Read more: 

• Heatwave and drought strain Southeast Europe’s nuclear power
• Belgium records Europe's highest excess mortality during June heatwave
• El Niño could push 49 million more people into acute hunger by 2027

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