A heat wave bakes the continent
Oppressively hot weather has broken records across Europe this week as a heat wave bakes the continent. Monthly and all-time temperature records were broken Wednesday in parts of Germany, Poland, France, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Clermont-Ferrand, France reported a record high of 105.6 degrees Fahrenheit. And forecasters expect parts of France could see temperatures rise to 110 degrees Fahrenheit by Friday.
“The whole government is mobilized,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Monday. Public health warnings for heat have also been issued in Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland.
Temperatures like that can kill, especially if you’re not used to them or have to work in them or both. (The utility of being used to them is very limited though. There are hard borders on how much heat the human body can handle.)
WMO regional climate centre for Europe @DWD_presse issued Climate Watch for #heatwave for the next week. Temperatures 3°C-6°C above average over central Europe and 1°C to 3°C elsewhere. Widespread daily maximum above 30°C. Follow advice from national met services. Map @eu_Echo pic.twitter.com/OSufYG4vW4
— WMO | OMM (@WMO) June 26, 2019
Europe’s hot weather this follows some unusually warm temperatures in other parts of the world this month, including the Arctic. Temperatures in Greenland surged up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit above what’s normal this time of year, leading to the largest ice melt this early in the season on record. A heat wave in India this month has already killed dozens.
The high temperatures in Europe also stand to harm millions of people. And as average temperatures rise due to climate change, these spans of extreme heat are poised to get longer, more intense, more frequent, and deadlier.
But the good news is
No, there isn’t any.
It’s OK, Gaia is going to identify as being a few degrees cooler, so that will instantly make it fact. Problem solved.
Just tell everyone in the hot places: “Identify as cooler.”
Meanwhile, it has been cooler where I live, so all the global warming deniers point to that and say “See? No global warming!” No, global means global, it doesn’t mean it will be warmer every minute of every day in Nebraska (or anywhere else). But, hey, Europe, so who cares? Let ’em fry.
I need to get out of this red state.
And in Grenoble they’ve shut down the municipal pools for fear of the burkini. I’m not a fan of the burkini, but I’m even less of a fan of not letting people get some relief.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/27/france-city-shuts-down-public-pools-after-two-women-wear-burkinis
Sorry for the monstrously long link.
Ah Facebook and its stupidly long links. Pro tip: you can delete everything up to & including the ? and it still works.
Thanks for the tip, and for fixing it. (Normally I’d just do an a hret, but I’m typing on my phone and feeling lazy.)
It’s so hot in Europe, the temperature map is screaming