Europe has been warned: It is fatal; 61,000 people died?

Western Europe, they say, experienced its hottest June on record, and most of the region experienced "very severe heat stress" - defined as conditions where the temperature is 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

"In a warming world, heat waves are likely to become more frequent, more intense and affect more people across Europe," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead of the Copernicus Climate Programme.

Researchers from the European Institute of Health reported in 2023 that as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe's sweltering heatwaves in 2022, suggesting that countries' efforts to prepare for the heat are "fatally insufficient".

These heat shocks are particularly pronounced in Europe, which is warming several times faster than the global average.

Millions of people were exposed to high heat stress across the continent as average daily temperatures in Western Europe climbed to levels never before seen, writes AFP.

Several countries recorded surface temperatures above 40 degrees, with heat reaching 46°C in Spain and Portugal, according to Copernicus.

Two heat waves

Tanjug/AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Two heat waves, from June 17 to 22 and then again from June 30 to July 2, were associated with heat domes that trapped warm air over the affected regions, prolonging the sweltering weather and exacerbating pollution and wildfire conditions.

Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and most of the Balkans recorded some of the highest levels of "heat sensation" during that period, which is an indicator that measures the impact on the human body by taking into account factors such as air humidity and temperature.

The maximum values ​​of that indicator reached 48°C north of Lisbon, about 7°C above the average and are associated with "extreme heat stress", according to Copernicus.

High sea temperatures

Increased sea temperatures across the western Mediterranean were "very high" in June, around 5°C above average in some areas, with temperatures rising to a record 27°C on June 30.

Higher water temperatures reduced nighttime air cooling along the coasts, contributed to higher humidity and harmed marine life.

RINA

An AFP analysis, based on data from the Copernicus programme, found that in 12 countries around 790 million people around the world experienced record heat last month.

Series of extremes

June, however, saw more extremes around the world.

Devastating forest fires raged in parts of Canada and southern Europe, while deadly floods swept across parts of South Africa, China and Pakistan.

Furthermore, parts of Western Europe experienced drier than average conditions, while particularly dry conditions were recorded in North America, East and South Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, parts of Central and East Asia, and South America.