Europe Records the Second Historic Summer With Blistering Heatwaves, Drought and Wildfires

According to Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe has had the warmest summer on record.

According to the European Union-funded agency, the average temperature this summer was 0.4 degrees Celsius higher than the previous year.

Hottest summer in Europe

(Photo : Eelco Böhtlingk/Unsplash)

Europe has had its warmest summer on record, thanks to searing heat waves, severe drought, and extensive wildfires, according to new Copernicus Climate Change Service data, as per The Washington Post.

Copernicus revealed Thursday that it was the continent's second historic summer in a succession, with average temperatures 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the previous record set just last year. August was particularly hot, breaking the previous year's record by 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.44 degrees Fahrenheit).

Copernicus senior scientist Freja Vamborg described the last three months as "a summer of extremes" in a statement.

She claims that the combination of record temperatures and unusually dry conditions caused by climate change has wreaked devastation throughout the continent.

Thousands of fatalities have been blamed on the protracted periods of oppressively hot weather, according to officials.

As Western Europe was plagued by the greatest drought in generations, crops shriveled and woodlands became dark and desolate.

Wildfires burned from the Caucasus Mountains to the Atlantic coast, devouring about 50% more area than the previous year's record.

According to experts, human-caused warming exacerbated the unprecedented season.

According to one recent study, the use of fossil fuels and other carbon-emitting activities increased the likelihood of a July heat wave in the United Kingdom by tenfold.

Another study indicates that the climate-driven cycle of hot weather and dry landscapes might result in the construction of "heat domes," which deflect rain and compel the continent to broil beneath unavoidable sunlight and heat.

"We expect these sorts of heat extremes to grow more common and severe as a result of climate change," Carlo Buontempo, the Copernicus service's director, stated in an email. "Observational records clearly show trends in this direction."

According to Copernicus, global temperatures in August matched the third highest on record. Heat waves burned most of China, making this summer the warmest in the country's history.

Drought has ravaged the western United States and Canada. Even the south pole was warmer than typical at this time of year, and sea ice surrounding Antarctica reached a record low for July.

Heatwaves and wildfires reported across the region

This summer, European heatwaves, and wildfires dominated the region's headlines, with fears that the continent's drought might be the worst in 500 years, as per the Independent.

Climate experts have warned that if global warming continues unabated, European summers would be characterized by more intense heat, droughts, and wildfires.

Even if the globe ceased all emissions today, experts warn that the extremes being experienced by people throughout the world will not improve till a significant amount of carbon is removed from the atmosphere.

Europe's drought may be the "worse" in 500 years.

A renowned scientist has warned that Europe may be witnessing its worst drought in 500 years

According to Andrea Toreti, a senior researcher at the European Drought Observatory, this year's dry conditions will deteriorate and will most likely surpass last year's exceptional drought.

He believes there is a "very strong possibility" that the present drought in western and central Europe will last for the next three months.