Their rapid attribution study says that rising temperatures “super-charged” the event, making it more likely to happen than through natural variability alone.
Heatwaves in June are now about 4C hotter than they used to be, the researchers said.
Globally, the average temperature for June was the highest on record.
Heatwaves naturally occur in the summertime but last week’s event in many European countries was unprecedented because it happened so early, and the recorded temperatures were so high.
Records were broken at locations in France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Spain.
The new French record, established at Gallargues-le-Montueux last Friday, was more than 1.5C above the previous high mark.
Much of the concern about the heat focused on France, with red alerts in several areas, many schools were closed, exams were postponed and health minister Agnès Buzyn warned that “everyone is at risk”.
The immediate cause of the heatwave was the weather, with hot air drawn in from northern Africa, caused by high pressure over central Europe and a storm stalling over the Atlantic. Read more…
