Europe under siege by heatwave: two decades of records and tragedies

The extreme temperatures recorded in recent days confirm an increasingly worrying phenomenon: the multiplication and intensification of heatwaves in Europe, a direct effect of climate change, according to scientists. The continent is warming faster than any other region in the world, according to data from the European Copernicus observatory.

• 2003 - the shock that changed the rules

In the first half of August 2003, Western Europe was hit by a devastating heatwave episode, which left behind over 70,000 victims in 16 countries. France, Italy, Spain and Portugal were the most affected, and the tragedy led to the implementation of special alert plans, such as the "Heatwave Plan” in France. The situation has been repeated in other regions: in 2010, Russia lost 56,000 people to extreme heat, and in 2022, an Inserm/ISGlobal study estimated 60,000 additional deaths in 35 European countries.

• Heatwaves from east to west and from north to south

If in 2003 the west and south were the epicenters of the crisis, the 21st century has brought extreme episodes to all corners of Europe. In 2010, Russia faced 45 consecutive days of heatwave, with a record of 37.2 degrees Celsius in Moscow; 2019: Northwestern countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom record historic temperatures, and France reaches 46 degrees Celsius; 2021: Southern Europe, including Greece and Spain, suffocates under record temperatures; 2023: Abnormal heat in the north in June, followed by temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius in the south in July and August.

• Heatwaves no longer have a fixed season

Heatwaves no longer occur only in the middle of summer. In 2019 and 2022, they began as early as June, bringing records for the beginning of summer in Germany and Austria.

In 2023, the extreme heat persisted until September, amplifying the drought in the south of the continent and complicating the organization of the Rugby World Cup in France.

• Alarming frequency

Research confirms a significant increase in the number of heatwave episodes. A German-Romanian study on the period 1921-2021 shows that the phenomenon has intensified especially in the last three decades. Meteo France points out that of the 50 heat waves recorded nationally since 1947, 33 have occurred since 2000.

• Historical temperature records

The 21st century has rewritten the European weather record books. The highest level was certified in 2021, in Syracuse (Italy), with 48.8 degrees Celsius.

Other national records include: Portugal - 47.3 degrees Celsius (2003), Spain - 47.4 degrees Celsius (2021), France - 46 degrees Celsius (2019), Germany - 41.2 degrees Celsius (2019), United Kingdom - 40.3 degrees Celsius (2022).