Western Europe endures hottest summer on record – could South Africa be next?

A firefighter battles a wildfire in Deliblatska Pescara in Serbia, on August 9. Firefighters battled wildfires across the Balkans as days of high temperatures and drought conditions continue to drive blazes in several countries. Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July on record as climate change fuels an historic summer of heat, drought and wildfires across the region, the EU’s global warming monitor said Monday.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and the first two months of summer have been marked by successive heatwaves, scorching temperatures and bone-dry conditions. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the combined average temperature in western Europe for June-July was 21.62C – beating the 2022 record for the same period. This reflected “the exceptional persistence of heat” so far this summer, Copernicus said.

Levels of soil moisture were “significantly lower” than in July 2022 when the last severe drought gripped western Europe, Copernicus added. “This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another,” said Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus. Very dry conditions were observed in July across western and central European nations including France, Spain, Austria and Hungary but also the United Kingdom, Ireland and part of Iceland.

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River flows were unusually low, with the Seine, Rhine and Danube particularly affected. Transport, irrigation and energy production have been impacted in several European countries. These hot and dry conditions were also ideal for fires and scientists say the frequency of extreme fire-prone weather in Europe is increasing with climate change.

France and Spain have battled their worst infernos in living memory this summer, while other nations in Europe and as well as the US northwest and Canada have also experienced serious blazes. Copernicus also said the world’s oceans hit record-high temperatures for a second straight month in July, driven by marine heatwaves around Europe and a powerful El Nino taking shape in the Pacific.

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