Temperatures reached on extreme weather days are increasing twice as fast as on regular summer days in parts of northern Europe.
(Bloomberg) — Temperatures reached on extreme weather days are increasing twice as fast as on regular summer days in parts of northern Europe.
While England and Wales have seen the average summer’s day get 0.26 C hotter per decade over the past 60 years, the jump was twice as high for peak temperature days, according to a new Oxford University study. Similar trends were observed in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, underlining that as climate change intensifies, instances of extreme heat are also becoming more common.
Last July, UK temperatures hit an all-time peak of 40.3 C, and new highs are already being observed this year with Spain and Portugal experiencing their hottest April on record. Globally, temperatures are expected to remain warm amid a growing likelihood that an El Niño event will emerge toward the second half of the year.
“It’s a warning sign,” said Oxford researcher Matthew Patterson. “We’re already experiencing the effects of climate change — that 40 degree summer was not a fluke.”
The study suggests that hot air carried from Spain and the Sahara could be to blame for the increase in extreme temperatures affecting northwest Europe. The same trend of the hottest days warming up faster was not seen elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, according to the study.
The researchers sounded the alarm on the impact these extreme temperatures have on agriculture, transport and health.
“A lot of our infrastructure in the UK is just not built to deal with that heat,” Patterson said. “That’s something our government needs to address.”
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