Western Europe is experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. London set a new all-time May temperature high near 95°F (35°C), while parts of France reached about 99°F (37°C) and Spain exceeded 100°F (38°C). The extreme conditions are linked to a heat dome, a mass of high-pressure air that traps hot air like a Dutch oven. Climate change is helping drive such weather toward more frequent and severe extremes. A ClimaMeter attribution study found the ongoing heat wave is likely exacerbated by climate change. Prior heat conditions leading into the event were reported as up to 4.5°F (2.5°C) above historical temperatures.
"Western Europe is sweltering under a record-breaking heat wave. This week, London set a new all-time high temperature record for May of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (about 35 degrees Celsius), while parts of France hit about 99 degrees F (about 37 degrees C) and Spain saw temperatures surpass 100 degrees F (about 38 degrees C)."
"The reason for the searing temperatures is a heat dome hanging over Western Europe—this is essentially a blob of high-pressure air that traps hot air like a Dutch oven. And climate change is helping to drive that hot air toward extremes. This record-breaking heat has the fingerprints of climate change all over it, said Friederike Otto, a professor of climate science at Imperial College London, in a statement."
"Temperatures on this scale were once exceptional even at the height of summer. A study released on Tuesday from ClimaMeter, a research organization based in France that does real-time climate attribution research, found that the ongoing heat wave is likely exacerbated by climate change. Heat conditions leading up to this week's event were as high as 4.5 degrees F (2.5 degrees C) above historical temperatur"
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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