Europe’s Sizzling Summer: A Heatwave Like Never Before
An intense, prolonged heatwave is sweeping across Europe, with potentially record-breaking temperatures of up to 48°C (118.4°F). This follows global temperature records and coincides with the onset of El Niño. Last year’s heatwaves caused over 60,000 deaths in Europe, and this summer’s conditions could be even more severe.
Temperatures are soaring across Europe this week due to an intense, extended heatwave. Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Poland are all experiencing this major heatwave, with temperatures anticipated to reach a scorching 48°C (118.4°F) on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially setting a new European record.
An anticyclone, a region of high atmospheric pressure, named “Cerberus” (named after the monster from Dante’s Inferno) coming from the south is expected to push temperatures over 40°C (104°F) across a significant portion of Italy. This high heat follows a spring and early summer rife with storms and floods.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8°C (119.84°F), recorded on August 11, 2021, in Floridia, a town in Sicily’s Syracuse province. That record may be surpassed in the forthcoming days.
The below animation uses data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission’s radiometer instrument and illustrates land surface temperatures across Italy between July 9 and 10. As the image clearly reveals, the land surface in cities like Rome, Naples, Taranto, and Foggia exceeded 45°C (113°F). On the eastern slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, temperatures above 50°C (122°F) were recorded.
Given that the Copernicus Sentinel-3 collected these data in the late morning (11:30 CEST), the temperature likely continued to rise throughout the afternoon.
This satellite instrument measures the actual energy radiating from Earth and reflects the temperature of the land surface, which is typically hotter than air temperatures. Hence, the map displays the true temperature of the land’s surface.
Scientists use land surface temperature data to better understand and forecast weather and climate patterns, monitor fires, optimize crop irrigation, and improve urban heat mitigation strategies.
This heatwave also affects other European cities, with air temperatures projected to hit 44°C (111.2°F) in parts of Spain later this week. Other areas hit hard include Rome, Italy, and Madrid and Seville in Spain, with land surface temperatures reaching 46°C (114.8°F) and 47°C (116.6°F) respectively.
