Winter Heat Records Are Being Broken Throughout Europe as Natural-gas Prices Fall

Temperatures in several European countries reached all-time highs in January.

National records have been broken in eight nations, and regional records in three more.

On Sunday, the temperature in Warsaw, Poland, was 18.9°C (66°F), but in Bilbao, Spain, it was 25.1°C - more than 10°C above average.

The pleasant European weather comes only days after a catastrophic winter cold snap killed more than 60 people in North America.

Heavy snow and freezing rain are likely in areas of the northern Midwest, while tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are expected in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

However, on the European side of the Atlantic, the weather has been mild for much of the year.

Winter heat records smashed all over Europe

(Photo : SERBIA-WEATHER ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

National records were broken in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, and Belarus, as per BBC.

In Germany, France, and Ukraine, station records were broken.

The temperature in Warsaw on January 1 was 4 degrees Celsius higher than the previous month's record, and Belarus' record high was 16.4 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degrees higher than the previous record.

In Spain, New Year's Day temperatures in Bilbao were similar to the July average, and water restrictions apply in sections of Catalonia, including Barcelona.

Records are broken all the time, but the difference is rarely greater than a few tenths of a degree.

Temperatures in Switzerland reached 20 degrees Celsius, and the warm weather has impacted ski resorts across the Alps, which have been experiencing snow scarcity.

Colder temperatures and snow are anticipated in areas of Scandinavia, while Moscow is projected to plunge to -20 degrees Celsius by the weekend.

Only a few days ago, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Spain proclaimed 2022 to be the warmest year on record.

Every month except December in the United Kingdom was hotter than usual. Snow fell throughout wide portions of the nation in December, while conditions are currently warmer and wetter.

Because of human-caused climate change, heat waves have grown more common, more severe, and stay longer.

Warm winter occurrences, on the other hand, do not have the same human effect as summer heat waves, which can result in a substantial number of extra deaths.

The world has already warmed by around 1.1 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the industrial age, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments throughout the world drastically reduce emissions.

Natural Gas Prices Plunge as Unseasonably Warm Weather

A surprising thaw throughout the Northern Hemisphere has melted down natural-gas prices, upending grave predictions of energy shortages and undermining Vladimir Putin's winter crisis strategy, as per Wall Street Journal.

It's not anticipated to be as warm as it was on Wednesday when temperatures in New York reached 66 degrees Fahrenheit, but energy dealers are expecting unusually mild weather to last into February, sapping demand for the heating fuel.

Natural-gas futures for February delivery in the United States closed at $4.172 per million British thermal units on Wednesday.

This is down 57% from the summer highs, despite a 4.6% gain on Wednesday, which ended a four-session losing trend that included an 11% decline on Tuesday.

The drop is a poor portent for drillers, whose stocks were among the few winners in the stock market last year.

Cheaper gas is excellent news for homeowners and enterprises whose budgets have been blown and profit margins have been slashed as a result of excessive fuel prices.

Though cold-weather shocks and pipeline difficulties may continue to drive up regional costs, lower-cost natural gas could assist to keep inflation at bay in the coming months.

There are also significant geopolitical ramifications. Mild weather is also bringing down gas costs in Europe, providing comfort to a region that suffered rolling blackouts and manufacturing shutdowns this winter.

According to Eli Rubin, senior energy analyst at the gas-trading firm EBW AnalyticsGroup, this week will be twice as warm compared to typical as the final week of December was cold, as measured in heating-degree days, a population-weighted measure of temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Warmer weather in the first half of January, according to the business, will lower gas consumption by around 100 billion cubic feet throughout that period.

That is roughly the amount of gas produced by the United States each day. According to the Energy Information Administration, daily American output will reach a new high in 2022.