By Zoila Palma: Western Europe has recorded its hottest first two months of summer on record, with the region facing devastating wildfires, severe drought and another heatwave expected this week. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said the average temperature for June and July reached 21.62 degrees Celsius, about 2.79 degrees above the average and surpassing the previous record set in 2022.
July was also the hottest month ever recorded for the world’s non-polar oceans, with record temperatures reported across the Atlantic and western Mediterranean, CNN reports.
Scientists warned that unusually warm seas are putting marine life and coastal communities at risk, while Europe’s extreme heat has been intensified by persistent drought.
Climate experts said dry soils lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing temperatures to rise further.
The extreme conditions have also fueled Europe’s worst wildfire season on record, with more than 1.23 million acres burned, mainly across Spain, France and Italy, according to an EU report.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, while smoke from the fires has worsened air quality across wider areas. Soil moisture levels in western Europe were significantly lower in July than during the severe drought of 2022, with France, Spain and parts of Germany and the United Kingdom recording exceptional or record rainfall and soil moisture deficits.
The post International News: Western Europe records hottest summer start as heatwaves and wildfires intensify appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Western Europe has recorded its hottest first two months of summer on record, with the region facing devastating wildfires, severe drought and another heatwave expected this week. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said the average temperature for June and July reached 21.62 degrees Celsius, about 2.79 degrees above the average
The post International News: Western Europe records hottest summer start as heatwaves and wildfires intensify appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.