During the heat wave that swept across parts of Europe in mid-July, temperatures of over 40 degrees were measured in parts of Portugal, Spain, France and Great Britain. In connection with it, several local and national heat records were broken in the western and northern part of Europe.
Most of the land masses in the Northern Hemisphere had temperatures well above average for the month. Elsewhere, the temperature was lower than usual, including in large parts of Central Asia and most of Australia.
According to Freja Vamborg, climate scientist at Copernicus, we can expect more frequent and longer periods of extremely high temperatures as the global temperature increases further.
– Heat waves pose serious risks to human health and can increase the intensity and lifespan of other catastrophic climate events such as forest fires and droughts, which affect both society and natural ecosystems, says Freja Vamborg in a press release.
Dryest July ever in France
July was also drier than usual in large parts of Europe as well as in large parts of North America, South America, Central Asia and Australia. In areas such as eastern Russia and northern China, there was more precipitation than normal.
Southern England had its driest July since records began in 1836, and the UK as a whole has not seen this much rain for over 20 years.
France also had its driest July on record – and the second driest of any month since records began in 1959, according to the country’s metrological institute. A total of 9.7 millimeters of rain fell in France during July, which corresponds to a decrease of 85 percent compared to the average for the reference period 1991-2020.
– Dry conditions from previous months combined with high temperatures and low rainfall levels in July may affect agricultural production negatively, says Freja Vamborg.
It can also lead to negative effects for other industries, such as river transport and energy production.
The summer’s extreme heat around Europe