A recent heat wave in Europe has shattered records, with temperatures soaring to unprecedented heights. According to a new analysis, this heat wave would have been virtually impossible just a few decades ago, and human-driven climate change is unequivocally to blame.
Record-Breaking Temperatures
France experienced its hottest day on record, beating a record set just the day before. The UK posted its highest June temperature ever recorded, then smashed it again the next day. Spain endured its two hottest June days on record, and Switzerland posted its hottest recorded June temperature.
The World Weather Attribution scientists used real-world and forecast data to analyze the three hottest days and nights of this heat wave across a huge section of Europe. They found that both daytime highs and nighttime temperatures during this period would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago.
Climate Change and Extreme Heat
The world has warmed by nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years, which has increased the chances of extreme heat immensely. A similar heat wave occurring in June 1976 would have been a startling 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit cooler.
Europe’s sweltering nighttime heat is about 100 times more likely today than it was in 2003, the year of a major European heat wave that killed more than 70,000 people. The scientists also analyzed the impacts of the heat wave’s high humidity, looking at 854 cities across 30 heat-affected European countries.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
