![Scandinavia temperature anomaly 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Scandinavia_temperature_anomaly_2018.jpg)
The 2018 European drought and heat wave was a period of unusually hot weather that led to record-breaking temperatures and
wildfires in many parts of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
during the spring and summer of 2018. It is part of a larger heat wave affecting the
northern hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
, caused in part by the
jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering thermal wind, air currents in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are west ...
being weaker than usual, allowing hot
high-pressure
In science and engineering the study of high pressure examines its effects on materials and the design and construction of devices, such as a diamond anvil cell, which can create high pressure. By ''high pressure'' is usually meant pressures of th ...
air to linger in the same place.
According to the
European Drought Observatory The Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) used to be a specialised institute of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) directorate of the European Commission, based in Ispra, Italy. Its mission was to provide scientific and technical support ...
, most of the areas affected by drought are across northern and central Europe.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the severe heat waves across the northern hemisphere in the summer of 2018, are linked to
climate change in Europe, as well as events of extreme precipitation.
General
Researchers at the
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and
World Weather Attribution
World Weather Attribution is an academic collaboration studying extreme event attribution, calculations of the impact of climate change on extreme meteorological events such as heat waves, droughts, and storms. When an extreme event occurs, the p ...
estimated that
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
more than doubled the overall likelihood of the heat wave, and in some places like Denmark made it up to five times as likely.
The heat has built up for two months due to slow and weakened
jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering thermal wind, air currents in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are west ...
. One possible cause for the jet stream to be slow and weak relates to
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
. In the polar regions, the average surface temperature is rising more quickly than at mid latitudes in a phenomenon called
polar amplification
Polar amplification is the phenomenon that any change in the net radiation balance (for example greenhouse intensification) tends to produce a larger change in temperature near the poles than in the planetary average. This is commonly referred to a ...
. Many researchers believe a strong polar amplification reduces the strength and changes the pattern of the
jet stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering thermal wind, air currents in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are west ...
, producing patterns like those occurring during the
2018 heat wave
In 2018, several heat waves with temperatures far above the long-time average and droughts were recorded in the Northern Hemisphere: The earth's average surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth highest in the 140 years of record keeping.John Sch ...
.
Dr. Michael Mann opined that global warming may be making such heat waves even more likely than the researchers estimated, because at the time of the study the climate models could not fully account for how the jet stream is affected by global warming.
The extreme heat was blamed for forest fires and crop failures.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, the severe heat waves across the northern hemisphere in the summer of 2018, are linked to
climate change in Europe, as well as events of extreme precipitation. Results were increase in elderly mortality; severe decline in yields; the biggest algae bloom in the Baltic sea for decades, that has poisoned water both for human and animals use; shutdowns of nuclear power plants in Europe, because the water in the rivers, that is used for cooling the reactors, was too warm; and electricity grids crashing across four continents. The impacts were severe, even in the countries considered rich and well prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change.
By country
Austria
The west and the north of Austria were worst affected by drought; certain areas in these regions experienced up to 85% less rainfall than the 10 year average. Insurance companies estimate the damage as high as 210 million euro.
Belgium
Belgium experienced the second hottest July since regular measurements started in 1833, with an average of 22 °C. Precipitation during July was close to normal at the official weather station in Uccle; most regions however received less than 20% of the normal amount of rain for the month, which was especially true for the western part of the country.
As a whole, 2 heat waves occurred: the first one between 13 and 27 July (making this the fifth longest heat wave in history) and the second one from 29 July until 7 August. Belgium's official weather service, the
KMI, defines a heat wave as a period of at least 5 days with maximum temperatures of 25 °C or higher, of which 3 days require a maximum of 30 °C or more.
Croatia
Zagreb saw 19 nights in a row where temperature did not fall under , breaking the previous record that was set in the 2013 heat wave. Despite the lack of extreme temperatures seen , the 2018 summer saw temperatures averaging above the mean at all official weather stations and the year as a whole was the hottest on record in Zagreb, which has the tenth oldest contiguously monitoring weather station in the world, operating since 1861.
Denmark
![Denmark scorched ESA397389](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Denmark_scorched_ESA397389.jpg)
The Danish summer was exceptionally dry and warm, and several records were broken: According to the
Danish Meteorological Institute
The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI; da, Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut) is the official Danish meteorological institute, administrated by the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. The institute makes weather forecasts and observati ...
, May 2018 had the highest average temperature ever recorded for the month, beating the old record by (recording began in 1879), the highest number of sunny hours recorded in the month (recording began in 1920), the highest temperature recorded in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in the month (recording began in 1879), and it was the driest May in a decade. June had the highest average temperature in 26 years and it was the third driest since recording began in 1920. July was the sunniest ever recorded (recording began in 1920), and it was one of the driest and warmest ever recorded (recording began in 1879).
The night between 30 and 31 July was the second-warmest on record.
Heat increases the risk of cardiac arrest and other serious conditions in people with poor health. On 8 August,
Statens Serum Institut
Statens Serum Institut (SSI, The State's Serum Institute), is a Danish sector research institute located on the island of Amager in Copenhagen. Its purpose is to combat and prevent infectious diseases, congenital disorders, and threats from w ...
released a report that showed an increase of about 250 deaths, primarily among elderly, in the summer of 2018 (peak in late July) compared to the norm. A similar increase was seen in neighbouring countries affected by the heat wave, including other
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n countries.
The unusually low water-levels in the
Gudenå, the longest Danish river, led to fears that the
SS ''Hjejlen'' would run aground. Because of the drought, farmers experienced a significantly reduced harvest. Outside fires and most types of barbecue grills were initially banned locally and later throughout the country due to the risk of fire. A total of 845 wildfires, both small and large, were recorded from 1 May to 5 July, which is about 500 more than the usual. In July alone there were more than 1,000 wildfires, or almost as many as typical of an entire year. Many foreign tourists, apparently unaware of the record-breaking weather, complained about the lack of
air conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
in hotels, which usually is unnecessary.
Finland
Finland experienced very high temperatures and drought, and like its neighbouring Scandinavian countries, several wildfires occurred.
Its northernmost municipality of
Utsjoki, north of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
, experienced a record-breaking temperature of in July.
France
The French utility company EDF made known that on the morning of 4 August 2018 it had to shut down reactor number one of the
Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant
The Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant is located in the Fessenheim commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, north east of the Mulhouse urban area, within of the border with Germany, and approximately from Switzerla ...
. This was necessary because the nearby river which is used for cooling water had reached a critical temperature.
The
white stork
The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...
s in the
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
region have also been suffering under the drought and heat waves. The 2018 stork generation is generally malnourished. Many are too weak to fly and crash-land when they leave the nest, resulting in fatal injuries like broken legs or wings. But 2018 did not break any temperature records in France.
Germany
![Naturpark-Rhein-Taunus-Duerre-2018-JR-T20-2018-08-26](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Naturpark-Rhein-Taunus-Duerre-2018-JR-T20-2018-08-26.jpg)
Both April and May set new temperature records as the warmest April and May since modern record-keeping began in 1881.
June experienced continued heat, with average temperatures above the 1961-1990 mean, while receiving only 57% of expected rainfall;
July experienced average temperatures above the reference period and 52% of the expected rain,
making it the fourth-warmest July since modern record-keeping began. The period from April–July is also the hottest and driest on record.
The heat also caused the deaths of many
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
fish due to reduced oxygen levels in rivers and ponds, causing firefighters to pump in more water in order to raise the levels. Near
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, almost five tonnes of dead fish were collected by German authorities.
On 26 July, regions in Western Germany hit ; on 31 July 2018, the heat traveled further east where some regions hit . The
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
and
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
river recorded high water temperatures causing fish to suffocate, and low water levels made shipping worse.
The overnight low in Berlin between 31 July and 1 August was , the city's warmest night since 1905. On 31 July, temperature reached in
Bernburg, coming shy of the
all-time German temperature record set in 2015.
Also on 31 July, the country experienced average highs of .
German farmers
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
have seen the drought affect their crops, potentially ruining harvests and forcing many to harvest early. There are fears many face
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in the event of a
crop failure.
The
German Farmer's Association
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
have asked the government for over one billion euros in financial aid, as the expected harvest of
rapeseed is down by 30% on last year and grain down by 20%.
Many
German nuclear power plants reduced their electricity output, as the river temperatures were too warm to safely absorb the full amount of
waste heat
Waste heat is heat that is produced by a machine, or other process that uses energy, as a byproduct of doing work. All such processes give off some waste heat as a fundamental result of the laws of thermodynamics. Waste heat has lower utility ...
from their
cooling systems without causing environmental damage (such as
fish kill
The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.University of Florida. Gainesville, FL (2005) ''Plant Management in Fl ...
s).
Greece
On 23 July,
wildfires started in the areas of
Attica
Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean Se ...
, killing 102 people and wounding 172 more, and destroyed or damaged over 1,000 buildings.
These are the deadliest wildfires in Greece in living memory.
On 24 July a state of emergency was declared near
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
by the government. The cause of the fires is thought to be arson along with the heatwave causing the hot conditions.
The Culture Ministry closed
the Acropolis
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Th ...
between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. local time on 23 July, since in Greek law, public sites can be closed if temperatures reach to prevent ill health.
Hungary
Water levels on the Danube were extremely low, even breaking records in Central Hungary (Ercsi, Dunaföldvár, and Dunaújváros)
Ireland
Met Éireann recorded the highest June temperature in more than 40 years.
An 11-day heatwave was recorded, making it the longest heatwave in 20 years.
Italy
A heat wave struck the entire country, while 8 people died in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
.
Latvia
Latvia has seen fires that have destroyed around of land including
peat bog, scrubland and forest.
[
]
Lithuania
The Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency for drought.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, a heat wave is defined as a period of at least five consecutive days are so called ‘summery days’ (days on which the daily maximum temperature is at least ), of which at least three days are ‘tropical’ (days on which the daily maximum temperature is at least ).
The Netherlands experienced a heat wave of 13 days starting with 15 July and to 27 July inclusive, the country's longest since the European heat wave of 2006. The highest temperature of was measured in Arcen
Arcen (; li, Árse) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. In 2010, it became part of the municipality of Venlo. Previously, it had been part of the municipality of Arcen en Velden and the seat of the town hall ().
In 2001, Arcen had 188 ...
, Limburg, on 26 July. In many parts of the country authorities were planning for measures in case of water shortages.[
A second heat wave started on 29 July, lasting 10 days until 7 August inclusive.
]
Norway
The Norwegian government has imposed water restrictions and the cost of electricity is expected to rise due to a high dependency on hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
generation. In the Banak peninsula in northern Norway a temperature of was recorded on 30 July 2018, which is considered extremely unusual for a region located north of the Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
. In the first half of July there have been more than 40 forest fires.[ Oslo experienced its warmest summer day for 80 years with the maximum of
]
Poland
Polish authorities banned swimming at more than 50 beaches, due to the outbreak of toxic cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...
, forming in warmer waters.
Portugal and Spain
Portugal and Spain experienced record temperatures.
Portugal's average high temperature was above for 3 consecutive days (40.1 °C, 40.9 °C and 41.6 °C, respectively 2, 3 and 4 August) and 6 different municipalities recorded temperatures at or above with being recorded at Alvega on 4 August.
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
set the highest temperature of on 4 August.
In Spain, 9 people died due to the heat wave.
The 2018 heat wave in Catalonia took place from 25 July to 6 August.
After three very dry years, drought conditions in Catalonia were widespread, but the rain of the first four months of the 2018 was higher than the climatic average and the agriculture recovered from the water deficit. The spring was not very warm and the heat of summer came suddenly. July was warm. The first heat wave did not produce deaths, but the second one was really deadly: the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Aspcat) estimated that 23 people died from heat stroke. Most of the deaths were in the same city of Barcelona (eleven), six in the province of Barcelona, four in Tarragona-Terres de l'Ebre, one in Girona and one in Lleida. Ten people suffered heat stroke at home, thirteen on the street and six were at work or doing sport activities. The 'Health care telephone' received 453 calls during the heat wave related to the high temperature. Blood donations fall 40% due to the heat wave.
According to the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, the warmest days were 4 and 5 August. On Saturday 4, 42.3 °C were reached at the Ebre Observatory (Roquetes, Baix Ebre), 41.4 °C at Benissanet (Ribera d'Ebre) and values from 38 °C to 40 °C were recorded in various coastal areas and even by the sea. On Sunday 5, very high registers were repeated in the same sectors, up to 41.6 °C in Vinebre (Ribera d'Ebre).
The minimum temperature also stayed very high during the weekend, with some values around 30 °C in the Empordà coast (NE of Catalonia) and in the center of the city of Barcelona. The automatic weather station of Portbou (Alt Empordà) registered two consecutive nights above 30 °C, with a minimum record of 31.0 °C throughout day 4 (0-24h UTC). The night from Saturday to Sunday was exceptional in Roses (Alt Empordà), since from midnight the temperature did not fall below 31.9 °C, although at night it had measured 29.3 °C. Between Saturday and Sunday, the weather observer from L'Estartit (Baix Empordà) measured the warmest night of its 49 years of data: 29.2 °C of minimum temperature. The Raval automatic weather station in the centre of Barcelona city did not drop from 29.8 °C during the night from Saturday to Sunday and the minimum temperature was 29.4 °C on Saturday 4th. Also in Barcelona city, the station of Can Bruixa (31 years of data) measured a minimum temperature of 29.9 °C. These high minimum temperature values represent the highest minimum temperature since 1780 in Barcelona city.
Sweden
May 2018 was the warmest May and July 2018 was the warmest July ever recorded in Sweden. In Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, the previous monthly record of May was recorded in 1993, while the recorded monthly average of May 2018 reached . In Stockholm the monthly average of July reached , making it the hottest month on record. Sweden also experienced widespread drought. More than 50 wildfires, ranging from north of the Arctic Circle to the southernmost county of Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
, occurred and have been called the most serious in the country in modern history by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. They burned over , with in its central Kårböle region.[ On 30 July 2018, the Swedish government offered in financial assistance to drought stricken farmers; one farmer said their losses could be around .][ Extreme forest fires and continuous drought conditions due to high temperatures caused short supplies for animal food, forcing farmers to resort to imports.
On 30 July, the Swedish nuclear power plant Ringhals-2 was shut down, as the temperature in Kattegat sea waters exceeded the design limit 25 °C for the reactor cooling system. Ringhals 2 reopened on 3 August.
]
Switzerland
Switzerland had the warmest April–July period since meteorological records began in 1864. Likewise, 2018 broke the record for the least rainfall in any April–July period since 1864. Fearing wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
s, authorities banned outdoor fires in the canton of Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the Sw ...
and in the Rhine river
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, sourc ...
valley of Grisons
The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include:
*german: (Kanton) Graubünden ;
* Romansh:
** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun
** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun
** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...
. 18 of the 26 cantons
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...
have restricted outdoor fires in some way.
United Kingdom
From the start of June to mid-July the UK underwent their driest summer in modern records. A heatwave was officially declared on 22 June and it caused widespread drought, hosepipe ban
An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban or hosepipe ban, it can affect:
*irrigation of lawns
*car washing
*recreational ...
s and the 2018 United Kingdom wildfires
Starting on 24 June 2018 and continuing throughout the summer, a record-breaking series of wildfires burned across the United Kingdom. The two largest fires, which were declared major incidents, burned over each and broke out on Saddleworth Mo ...
. These series of wildfires worst affected moorland areas of the UK around the Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
region, the largest of which being at Saddleworth Moor
Saddleworth Moor is a moorland in North West England. Reaching more than above sea level, it is in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. It is crossed by the A635 road and the Pennine Way passes to its eastern side.
Geography ...
and Winter Hill which together burned over over a period of nearly a month. On 29 June, Northern Ireland Water introduced the first hosepipe ban
An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban or hosepipe ban, it can affect:
*irrigation of lawns
*car washing
*recreational ...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
since 1995. The highest temperature reached according to the Met Office
The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope E ...
was in Faversham
Faversham is a market town in Kent, England, from London and from Canterbury, next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. It is close to the A2, which follows an ancient British t ...
, Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
on 26 July.
See also
*2003 European heat wave
The 2003 European heat wave saw the hottest summer recorded in Europe since at least 1540. France was hit especially hard. The heat wave led to health crises in several countries and combined with drought to create a crop shortfall in parts of S ...
*2006 European heat wave
The 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary ...
*2018 heat wave
In 2018, several heat waves with temperatures far above the long-time average and droughts were recorded in the Northern Hemisphere: The earth's average surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth highest in the 140 years of record keeping.John Sch ...
*2019 European heat waves
In late June and late July 2019 there were two temporally distinct European heat waves, which set all-time high temperature records in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The first heat wave, in late ...
*2022 European heat waves
From June to August 2022, persistent heatwaves affected parts of Europe, causing evacuations and over 20,000 heat stroke, heat-related deaths, making these heat waves the deadliest meteorological events in 2022. The highest temperature recorded ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:European drought and heat waves, 2018
2018 meteorology
2018 natural disasters
2018 heat waves
June 2018 events in Europe
July 2018 events in Europe
August 2018 events in Europe
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
Climate change in Europe
Climate change in Germany
Climate change in the Netherlands
Climate change in Sweden
Climate change in Norway