The Meteorological Institute of Norway has warned that high temperatures are a clear signal of climate change. In Banak, where this new record was broken, average temperatures for June are usually 13 C (55 F). The World Meteorological Organization tweeted: “Many June temperature records have fallen in Asia, North Africa, parts of the Arctic and Europe. “Stations across Scandinavia on Wednesday had ‘tropical days’ above 30C (86F). Central Asia and Japan sweltering in intense heat.” Forecasters said an unusually early end to Japan’s rainy season led to widespread temperatures above 35 C (95 F). The Japanese government is urging its citizens to reduce electricity use as much as possible while running air conditioners to be safe. Tokyo hit 37C (98.6F) – and it’s unusual to see such heat at this time of year. Image: Japan has experienced such extreme heat that there have been fears about power supplies The heat has made its presence felt all over Europe. Heat warnings remain in place across Poland, with thunderstorms expected as the heat drops. In Italy, the worst drought in 70 years means salt water from the Adriatic Sea is backing up into the country’s largest river – further damaging crops devastated by the early summer heat wave. Image: Italy has had its worst drought in 70 years And in North Africa, high temperatures and fires have badly affected Tunisia’s grain harvest. Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe said: “Many parts of Europe were unusually warm for June, with the UK experiencing its own heat wave earlier in the month. “The high temperatures across Europe are due to a ridge of high pressure allowing warm air to move north from Africa. “Climate change projections say global warming will make these events more likely, with heatwaves becoming more intense, more frequent and longer.” Image: Spain had its hottest June temperatures in years Earlier this week, the EU’s Copernicus earth observation program warned that hundreds of millions of people have been affected by these heatwaves – “with impacts on health and well-being, agriculture and food supplies, energy prices and demand and the natural ecosystem” . He said: “Each of these heat events is striking; either for the extreme temperatures achieved locally, their duration and/or their unusually early onset for the season.” Copernicus added that while these heatwaves were exceptional, they are not unexpected – and are set to continue as the climate continues to warm globally. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 12:12 Because the heatwaves are getting worse Read more: High stakes, heroes and villains: Tom Heap on our fight to avoid catastrophic climate change ‘How much more evidence do we need’? Planet breaks four climate records in one year, WMO warns Back in the UK, provisional figures from the Met Office show that the average mean temperature for June 2022 was 13.9 C (57 F) – 0.6 C higher than the long-term average between 1991 and 2020. So far, not a single month in 2022 has delivered a below-average average temperature – and the period from January to June was in the top five warmest for the UK in a row since 1884. Dr Mark McCarthy of the National Center for Climate Information said: “This is not to say that there won’t still be colder months, such is the natural variability of the UK climate, but a warming trend for the UK over a longer period is consistent with what we have seen in our climate data.” Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, YouTube and Twitter. The show explores how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.
