According to climate change projections, global warming will increase the likelihood of these events, with heat waves becoming more intense, frequent, and long-lasting.
In June, countries across Europe broke temperature records, with the Arctic Circle recording an unprecedented 32.5C (90.5F).
The Meteorological Institute of Norway has issued a warning that the high temperatures are a clear indication of climate change.
In Banak, where this new record was established, June average temperatures are typically 13C. (55F).
The World Meteorological Organization tweeted, “Numerous June temperature records have been broken in Asia, North Africa, portions of the Arctic, and Europe.
“On Wednesday, stations throughout Scandinavia experienced ‘tropical days’ with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius” (86F). Central Asia and Japan are experiencing extreme heat.
The unusually early end of Japan’s rainy season, according to forecasters, has led to widespread temperatures above 35C. (95F).
The Japanese government is urging its citizens to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible while keeping their air conditioners on for safety.
It is rare to see such heat at this time of year in Tokyo, where the temperature reached 37C (98.6F).
Europe has also been experiencing the effects of the heatwave.
In Poland, heat advisories remain in effect, and thunderstorms are expected as the heat subsides.
The worst drought in Italy in seventy years has caused salt water from the Adriatic Sea to flow back into the country’s longest river, further harming crops already harmed by the early summer heatwave.
And in North Africa, high temperatures and fires have severely impacted the grain harvest in Tunisia.
Meteorologist Kirsty McCabe stated, “Many regions of Europe have experienced unusually high temperatures for June, with the United Kingdom experiencing its heat wave earlier in the month.
“The high temperatures across Europe are caused by a ridge of high pressure that allows hot air from Africa to move northward.
“According to climate change projections, global warming will increase the likelihood of these events, with heat waves becoming more intense, frequent, and long-lasting.”
Earlier this week, the EU’s Copernicus earth observation program issued a warning that hundreds of millions of people have been affected by these heatwaves, “with implications for health and wellbeing, agriculture and food supplies, energy prices and demand, and natural ecosystem.
It stated, “Each of these heatwaves is notable for the extreme temperatures reached locally, their duration, and/or their occurrence at an unusually early date for the season.”
Copernicus added that even though these heatwaves were exceptional, they are not unexpected and will continue as the global climate continues to warm.
In the United Kingdom, the average mean temperature for June 2022 was 13.9 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit), 0.6 degrees above the long-term average between 1991 and 2020.
So far in 2022, not a single month has delivered a mean temperature that is below average, and the period from January to June ranks among the top five warmest for the United Kingdom since records began in 1884.
Dr. Mark McCarthy of the National Climate Information Centre stated, “This does not mean that cooler months will no longer occur, given the natural variability of the UK climate, but a warming trend for the UK over a longer period is consistent with our climate data.
