Western Europe is experiencing temperatures and heat waves much warmer than the global average this year. The United Kingdom has already endured its hottest May day on record, with temperatures spiking to 34.8 degrees Celsius. It broken its previous record by 2 degrees, recording unusually high temperatures for spring. The usual weather at this time in the UK is between 17-20 degree celsius.
France, too, logged its hottest May day this week as the heat dome of warm air coming from northern Africa settles over western Europe. Germany’s temperature too, went beyond 30 degree Celsius for the first time this year on Saturday. Temperatures in southwest Spain are forecast to reach 40°C in the coming days.
A stout ridge of high pressure centered over the English Channel between Britain and Normandy in France is the cause of this spell of heat, reported DTN news. Temperatures are expected to reach as much as 20 degrees Celsius above normal during this week.
In the UK, most houses are not insulated well enough to keep out heat and just 5% of homes have air conditioning. A CNN report last week from the UK’s Climate Change Committee warned the UK was “built for a climate that no longer exists.”
The WHO reports that the European Region, consisting of 53 member states, is the fastest warming of the 6 WHO regions. Its temperatures are rising at around twice the global average rate, meaning that heat waves in Europe are going to be a more normal occurrence from now on.
The 3 warmest years on record for this region have all occurred since 2020, and the 10 warmest years have been since 2007.
Climate-related deaths are increasing due to heat stress too. A 30% increase was noticed in heat-related mortality in the last 20 years. The hours of heat-stress in a day too have increased considerably over the last 30 years. This European heat wave, and its potential for wheat crop stress due to soaring temperatures, coincides with prospects for U.S. winter wheat production to be 25% below a year ago, according to USDA, due to the impact of drought and spring freezes.
In the coming decades, WHO warns that the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves, and other extreme weather events, are all expected to increase. Climate adaptation and mitigation would be at the centre of the agenda for governments to lower the risks to communities and individuals.
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