Europe braces itself for a scorching summer.

The risk of heatwaves at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is causing organizers to "break out in a cold sweat" regarding the safety of the athletes.

A tourist cools off on the streets of Rome, Italy. Photo: Euronews

Europe is entering a scorching summer as Germany and the Nordic countries prepare for unusually high temperatures. Meanwhile, the risk of heatwaves at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is causing organizers to worry about the safety of athletes. Spain is preparing for another sweltering summer, releasing new maps to help predict heatwaves more accurately. Cities across the continent are doing everything they can to adapt to the extreme heat.

The world has experienced 11 consecutive months of record-breaking heat, and sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic have risen to their highest levels in at least 40 years. When it comes to heatwaves or extreme weather, no one can predict what's to come. But past weather patterns can provide forecasters with some clues.

Tamsin Green, a meteorologist with the Weather & Radar forecasting service, said: “It’s very difficult to predict exactly what the weather will be like, this is because the weather across Europe is changing with a myriad of different anomalies.” According to Ms. Green, it is likely that hotspots will be concentrated in Southern and Eastern Europe.

Western Europe could see average rainfall in June, followed by above-average rainfall in Southern Europe in July. She added that August will likely be drier and more stable across much of the continent. Many factors are influencing Europe's weather. For example, the world is currently in a transitional phase between El Niño and La Niña climate phenomena, which is “critical” in determining global weather patterns and temperatures.

Although El Niño is defined as a phenomenon of above-average sea surface temperatures and increased rainfall in the eastern and central tropical Pacific , it still has a global impact. T. Green explains that, “like a domino effect,” weather in one place can influence conditions on the other side of the planet. If rainfall increases in one part of the world, it will decrease elsewhere. For example, Europe often experiences the remnants of tropical monsoon storms.

Hurricane activity in the Atlantic, during hurricane season from June to November, is likely to increase significantly as La Niña forms in the Pacific, putting pressure on storms there. However, one factor playing a major role in the increasingly hot summers on the continent is climate change. T. Green said: “The last 10 have been the hottest years on record, with the majority of global warming occurring in the last 40 years. We’ve already seen April 2024 become the 11th consecutive month with record-breaking temperatures.”

According to recent data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the EU Copernicus Climate Agency (C3S), Europe has been warming at twice the global average rate since 1991. The continent is “not an exception” when it comes to the consequences of climate change, with both agencies warning that Europe needs to do more to cut emissions and transition away from fossil fuels. 23 of the 30 most severe heatwaves on the continent have occurred since 2000 – five of them in the last three years. The latest five-year average shows temperatures in Europe are now 2.3°C higher than pre-industrial levels, compared to a global increase of 1.3 ^° C. Therefore, T. Green suggests: “2024 could be a record-breaking hot year with the global temperature trend continuing.”

LAM DIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chau-au-gong-minh-truc-mua-he-ruc-lua-post742032.html