Scorching Heat 'Boils' Europe, Disrupts River Shipping
In June and July, temperatures in Western Europe reached the highest levels ever recorded for those two summer months. The average temperature in the region, which also includes Germany, reached 21.62 degrees Celsius, according to data from the European Union’s climate change service, Copernicus, based in Bonn.
That figure is 2.79 degrees higher than the June average for the 1991–2020 period.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. However, Copernicus noted a striking temperature difference from Western Europe towards Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, which experienced much lower temperatures. Data for Germany also shows that the southwestern region was far hotter than the northeast.
Copernicus also highlighted the exceptionally long heatwaves in Western Europe since late spring. Since May, there have been four heatwaves, an unusually high number for the region. The data used by Copernicus includes records dating back to 1950, and for some areas even older data is available.
Extreme drought also continues across many parts of Europe. As in June and parts of May, many areas in July received below-average rainfall. This was particularly the case in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.
Soil moisture content in Western Europe in July was recorded as far lower than during the last major drought in July 2022.
“When the soil dries out, its ability to provide natural cooling diminishes, so heat can accumulate more easily,” explained Samantha Burgess, Head of Climate Strategy at Copernicus. “This is a clear example of how climate change amplifies heat extremes: heat and drought increasingly exacerbate one another.”
The first two months of this summer were also marked by numerous wildfires.
In most drought-affected areas, river water levels are far below the long-term average and in some places have reached extremely low levels. The most affected rivers include the Seine in France, the Rhine, and the Danube.
River shipping operators in Germany are now warning of increasingly alarming conditions on the Rhine.
At the Kaub measuring station, which is crucial for shipping and the economy, the water level is expected to fall to single digits for the first time this week, Jens Schwanen, Managing Director of the German Federal Association of Inland Navigation (BDB), told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
“Fundamentally, under these conditions the Rhine can no longer be fully navigated and as a result the river becomes divided into two parts,” Schwanen said. The water level at Kaub, located between the cities of Koblenz and Mainz, is an important benchmark for shipping on the Rhine.
It is not only the land that is experiencing extreme heat. Oceans around the world are also warming to record levels. According to the data, sea surface temperatures in July were the highest since records began. The average temperature reached 20.96 degrees Celsius. The previous record was 20.89 degrees Celsius, recorded in July 2023.
That figure refers to sea areas outside the polar regions. Copernicus noted that temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are also currently very high due to the developing El Niño climate phenomenon, which is expected to strengthen further in the coming months.
Along the Atlantic coast and the western Mediterranean, sea water temperatures reached record highs and were accompanied by strong marine heatwaves.
The European Union’s Copernicus climate change service regularly publishes data on various climate indicators, such as surface temperatures, sea ice extent, and precipitation. The data comes from computer-based analyses that combine billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations around the world.