Unprecedented 32.5C in Arctic Circle in month when global temperature record was broken | Climate news
Countries across Europe broke temperature records in June – with an unprecedented 32.5C (90.5F) reported in the Arctic Circle.
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has warned that high temperatures are a clear signal of climate change.
In Banak, where this new record was broken, the average temperature for June usually stands at 13C (55F).
The World Meteorological Organization tweeted: “Many June temperature records fell in Asia, North Africa, parts of the Arctic and Europe.
“Stations across Scandinavia on Wednesday had a ‘tropical day’ above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Central Asia and Japan are being hit by intense heat.”
Forecasters say the unusually early end of the rainy season in Japan has resulted in common temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Celsius).
The Japanese government is urging people to cut down on electricity use as much as possible and run air conditioners to stay safe.
Tokyo hit 37C (98.6F) – and it’s unusual to see such temperatures at this time of year.
Japan has experienced such extreme heat that there are concerns about the power supply
The heat wave has also made its presence all over Europe.
A heat warning remains in effect across Poland, with thunderstorms expected as temperatures drop.
In Italy, the worst drought in 70 years means salty water from the Adriatic is backflowing into the country’s longest river – further damaging crops devastated by the early summer heatwave.
Italy experienced its worst drought in 70 years
And in North Africa, high temperatures and fires have severely affected Tunisia’s grain harvest.
Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe said: “Many parts of Europe were unusually hot in June, with the UK experiencing its own heatwave earlier in the month.
“The high temperatures across Europe are caused by a high pressure peak that allows hot air to move northward from Africa.
“Climate change projections say that global warming will make these events more frequent, with heatwaves becoming more intense, more frequent and longer lasting.”
Spain has hottest June temperatures in years
Earlier this week, the EU’s Copernicus earth observation program warned hundreds of millions of people have been affected by these heatwaves – “having implications for health and well-being, agriculture and food supplies”. food, energy prices and demand, and natural ecosystems”.
It said: “Each of these heatwaves is dramatic; or for the extreme temperatures achieved locally, their timing and/or appearance unusually early in the season.”
Copernicus added that while these heatwaves are exceptional, they are not out of the question – and they will continue to happen as the climate continues to warm globally.
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Why is the heat wave getting worse?
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Back in the UK, provisional figures from the Met Office show the average temperature for June 2022 was 13.9 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) – 0.6 degrees Celsius above the long-term average period from 1991 to 2020.
So far, no month in 2022 has seen below-average temperatures – and the January-June period is in the top five warmest for the UK in a string of five. 1884.
Dr Mark McCarthy of the National Center for Climate Information said: “This is not to say that colder months won’t happen, it is a natural variation of the UK climate, but a warmer trend. up in the UK over a longer period is consistent with what we’ve seen in our climate data.”
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