Europe experiences its hottest summer on record in 2024
The summer of 2024 has been recorded as the hottest in Europe's history, according to a report by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The average temperatures from June to August were 1.54 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 baseline. This surpasses the previous record set in 2022 by 0.2 degrees Celsius. Southern and eastern Europe experienced the most severe heatwaves, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
Droughts and wildfires exacerbate Europe's heat crisis
In countries like Slovakia, Romania, and Croatia, the intense heatwaves led to widespread droughts, while in northeast Croatia, two months of rainless conditions resulted in agricultural losses with crop yields dropping by 30% to 40%. Austria also reported crop failures due to extreme weather conditions. Austrian Hail Insurance estimated that the drought could cause an economic loss of up to €150 million ($166 million) to Austria's agricultural sector this year.
Heatwaves prove deadly across Europe
The extreme heat also proved deadly with Spain recording over 2,000 heat-related deaths in July and August, according to the Institute of Health Carlos III. A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health estimated that more than 47,000 people died across Europe last summer due to extreme heat. This makes it the second deadliest year for heat-related deaths after 2022.
Global warming trends reflected in Europe's extreme weather
The extreme weather in Europe is a reflection of broader global warming trends. C3S's data showed that August 2024 tied with August 2023 as the hottest August on record globally. The average surface air temperature reached 16.82 degrees Celsius, 0.71 degrees Celsius above the average from 1991 to 2020. This marks the 13th time in the past 14 months that global temperatures have surpassed a critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement.
2024 on track to become hottest year on record
Year-to-date data indicates that 2024 is on course to become the hottest year ever recorded. The global average temperature for January to August was 0.7 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average, setting a new record for this period. "This string of record temperatures is increasing the likelihood of 2024 being the hottest year on record," said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
