Hottest June on record in Western Europe as heatwaves hit continent

Thousands of deaths across Europe, mostly in France, Spain and Belgium, have been linked to a June heatwave.Last month was the hottest June ever recorded in Western Europe, with temperatures more than three degrees Celcius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has said.The climate monitoring service said Thursday that the average temperature in Western Europe reached 20.74C (69.33F), driven by a heatwave in the second half of the month that broke records across several countries.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4America250: How the US heatwave will affect Fourth of July celebrationslist 2 of 4Masses of Iranians defy heatwave on second day of Khamenei’s funerallist 3 of 4‘We have nothing to cool off with’: French heatwave exposes inequalitieslist 4 of 4Flooding from Tropical Storm Maysak kills 39 in southern Chinaend of listGlobally, the average temperature was 16.54C (61.77F), or 0.56C (1F) above the 1991-2020 average for June.The month was also 1.39C (2.5F) warmer than the estimated pre-industrial June average for the 1850-1900 period, Copernicus said.The June heatwave, which followed a succession of extreme weather events, highlighted the challenges expected in the future, while dry conditions in southwestern Europe prompted wildfires, according to Copernicus.The average sea surface temperature across oceans outside the polar regions reached 20.86C (69.55F) degrees in June, the highest ever recorded for the month, the service said.‘Heat dome’Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, and changes in atmospheric circulation are causing more frequent and more intense heatwaves.June’s heatwave created a “heat dome” effect, a high-pressure system acting like a lid on a boiling pot.Thousands of deaths were linked to the heatwave, mostly in France, Spain and Belgium.More than two-thirds of Europeans – 410 million people – endured temperatures topping 35C (95F) during the June heatwave, according to an analysis by the AFP news agency.