Forecasters predict extremely hot summer in Europe
Illustrative photo (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Summer in Europe is forecasted to be hotter than usual, raising concerns of heightened drought risk and heatwaves. Warmth in May is expected to extend a trend witnessed over 10 consecutive months of record-breaking global temperatures, according to Bloomberg.
Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic have soared to their highest levels in at least 40 years. This indicates an extremely hot summer ahead, as stated by Olivia Birch, a meteorologist with Atmocultural G2.
In the UK, summer could resemble that of 2022, the hottest in British history, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius.
Birch attributes these extreme weather conditions to the recent acceleration of global warming.
According to forecasts from Meteo France, temperatures in France are expected to be above average in the coming three months.
Atmosphere G2 data shows Spain and Italy among the countries where temperatures are expected to exceed the average in May. The UK is forecasted to experience the same, although temperatures are expected to normalize by the end of the month. Scandinavia is expected to be slightly cooler than usual in May.
Record heat
March marked the tenth consecutive month of being the warmest globally in recorded history, according to the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation program.
Furthermore, the average global temperature over the past year is the highest on record.
In Kyiv, March of this year ranked 12th in history for its warmth. Temperatures were 2.3 degrees Celsius above normal.
