Hitze und Trockenheit: Juni und Juli waren in Westeuropa so warm wie noch nie

In June and July, temperatures in Western Europe reached unprecedented levels, according to the Climate Change Service of the EU's Copernicus program in Bonn. The average temperature during the two summer months was 21.62 degrees, which is 2.79 degrees higher than the long-term June average from 1991 to 2020. However, Copernicus notes that there is a significant temperature difference between Western and Eastern Europe, as well as Scandinavia, which experienced much cooler weather.

Germany, for example, had significantly warmer southern-western regions compared to its north-eastern areas. In fact, July 2024 was the eleventh warmest July globally, with an average temperature of 20.49 degrees, only slightly cooler than the eleventh warmest July. Globally, it was the second warmest July, with an average temperature of about 16.90 degrees.

Only July 2023, with a temperature of 16.95 degrees, was warmer. Europe's past month was 1.47 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial July average. Copernicus also emphasizes the unusually prolonged heat since late spring, with four heatwaves occurring in May alone, which is exceptionally high for the region. Data used by Copernicus dates back to 1950, with some older data also available.

Heat and drought reinforce each other in many European regions. As in June and partly in May, July was also drier than the average in many regions, especially in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Great Britain. Soil moisture content was notably lower in July than during the last drought July in 2022.

According to Samantha Burgess, strategic leader for climate at Copernicus, "When soils dry out, they lose their ability to naturally cool, leading to even easier heat buildup." This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, as heat and drought are becoming increasingly intertwined. River levels in many dry areas were significantly below the long-term average and reached unusually low values in some places.

The Seine, Rhine, and Danube were particularly affected. World oceans also heated up to record levels in July, with the sea surface temperature being the highest since records began this month, at 20.96 degrees. The previous highest value of 20.89 degrees was recorded in July 2023. The measurements refer to the oceans outside the polar regions.

The current high temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, due to the beginning of the El Niño climate phenomenon, which is expected to intensify in the coming months, are also noted by Copernicus. Along the Atlantic coast and in the western Mediterranean, water temperatures reached record levels, accompanied by strong maritime heatwaves.

The EU's Climate Change Service Copernicus regularly publishes data on surface temperature on Earth, sea ice extent, and precipitation. These insights are based on computer-generated analyses incorporating billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations around the world.