European heat wave is not normal summer weather
Key takeaways
- Human-induced climate change has intensified temperatures, making this year's record heat wave up to 4C hotter.
- Without climate change, parts of Europe would still likely be experiencing a heat wave due to a "typical" weather pattern over the continent.
- The current heat wave follows a May that saw unprecedented temperatures for spring in Europe.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
It isn't. Human-induced climate change has intensified temperatures, making this year's record heat wave up to 4C hotter.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fzg SA heat wave is baking parts of European and residents are trying to find ways to stay cool in the deadly temperatures Image: Alice Sacco/REUTERSAdvertisement Hot summers aren't unusual in some European countries, but deadly record-breaking heat that's causing power outages, forcing school closures and sending people scrambling for relief, is "exceptional," a new attribution study has found.
Without climate change, parts of Europe would still likely be experiencing a heat wave due to a "typical" weather pattern over the continent. But an analysis by ClimaMeter, a scientific platform for analyzing extreme weather, says global temperature rise linked to the burning of oil, coal and gas, has made it 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 Fahrenheit) hotter, turning it into an "extraordinary" event.