Central European Heat Wave June - July 2015
An extreme summer heat wave set temperature records across Europe in late-June and early-July of 2015, including a new all-time hot temperature record in Germany, which experienced 104.4°F (40.2°C) heat on July 5 in the town of Kitzingen. The 2015 summer extreme hot temperature occurred in the context of a decade of summer warming and increases in hot temperature extremes. Human-caused climate change was a "major factor in setting the conditions for the development of the 2015 heat wave," according to a 2016 climate change attribution study. One of the strongest findings of climate science is that global warming amplifies the intensity, duration and frequency of extreme heat events.
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Heat records shattered in central Europe heat wave
A heat wave brought record temperatures across Europe during late-June and early-July. On July 1, London experienced its hottest July maximum temperature on record: 98.1°F (36.7°C). Paris recorded its second hottest day ever on July 2, with a high temperature of 103.5°F (39.7°C), and Berlin experienced its highest temperature on record, 100.2°F (37.9°C), on July 4.
On July 5, Germany set a new all-time, nation-wide hot temperature record, reaching 104.4°F (40.2°C) in the town of Kitzingen.[1]
Climate change identified as a "major factor"
Model experiments positively identified human-caused climate change as a "major factor in setting the conditions for the development of the 2015 heat wave."[1]
A 2016 attribution study by Sippel et al. confirms that human-induced climate change has contributed to the increase in the frequency and intensity of short-term heat waves and heat stress, such as the summer 2015 event in central Europe.[1]
The 2015 summer extreme hot temperature occurred in the context of a decade of summer warming and increases in hot temperature extremes.