September 9, 2019

Anna Murray 

The World Weather Attribution (WWA), a media conducting real-time attribution analysis of extreme weather events around the world, published on August 2 the latest study of “Human contribution to the record-breaking July 2019 heatwave in Western Europe”. In the attribution analyses, the experts have concluded that July’s heatwave was so extreme over continental Western Europe that it was linked to human-induced climate change.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Paris' maximum temperature rose to a record high of 42.61 degrees Celsius (108.7 Fahrenheit) on July 25. The heatwave in June also hit record high temperatures in many other European nations, including Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and the UK.

The previous record in France was the heatwave in 2003 that took 15,000 lives. In contrast, during June and July this year, the heatwaves reportedly left about 1,500 deaths. The study of WWA initiatives suggested providing effective heat emergency plans, together with accurate weather forecasts before extreme heatwave, could reduce impacts in light of the rising risks.

Photo:Webshot.