According to experts, last year was the hottest on record throughout Europe, surpassing the previous high by a significant margin.
Between 1981 and 2010, temperatures in the area were higher than 1.9 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.
Temperatures in the Arctic are also increasing fast, according to the American Meteorological Society’s State of the Climate 2020 report.
The temperature over land there was the highest since records began in 1900.
According to reports released earlier this year, 2020 was Europe’s warmest year on record, and one of the three hottest on the planet.
This new data reveals that Europe’s temperature margin was much higher than previously believed in prior years.
Not only was the year 1.9 degrees Celsius warmer than the long-term average, but it was also 0.5 degrees warmer than the previous high point.”
“This level of difference to the previous long-term average, which is a large difference, is something that is concerning,” said Dr. Robert Dunn, a senior climate scientist at the UK Met Office.
“It is something to sit up and take notice of, but it’s not just the temperatures that are increasing, the extreme events, the heat waves we’re seeing this year, and last year as well. We’re seeing these responses across the world.”
Other scientists agreed that the magnitude of Europe’s record-breaking heat was concerning.
Prof Gabi Hegerl, professor of climate system research at the University of Edinburgh, stated, “The amount by which the previous record has been exceeded should worry us all.”
“European temperatures are well measured and can be traced back to the beginning of industrialization and beyond, using documentary evidence and proxy records. This long-term context emphasizes how unusual this warmth is.”
The warm weather in Europe caused significant temperature deviations from the long-term normal in several nations, with Estonia, Finland, and Latvia all-seeing 2.4-degree temperature anomalies.
Since 2014, Europe has had its five hottest years on record.
The Arctic is another region of the globe that is rapidly warming.
