Large-area thermal anomalies in Europe (1951-2018). Temporal and spatial patterns

The current climate warming phenomenon manifests itself with the occurrence of, among other characteristics, extremely hot months and seasons. Examples include the heat waves of April and May 2018 and of June 2019, which swept through large areas of Europe with considerable damage to nature and the economy. The study looks at thermal anomalies of this kind using average monthly air temperature records from 210 weather stations collected over the period 1951-2018. For the purpose of the study an anomaly was defined as a deviation of the average monthly temperature from the long-term average by at least two standard deviations. An anomaly was considered large-area if it occurred simultaneously at 20 or more stations, which corresponded to about one-tenth of the continent. The study found that positive large-area anomalies were increasingly frequent, some being recorded at 80 stations, and that no cool large-area anomalies were recorded after 2010. Large-area thermal anomalies of both types were the most frequent overall in Central Europe.

Automated summary

The current climate warming is characterized by increasingly frequent occurrences of extremely hot months and seasons, with heat waves causing significant damage to nature and the economy in Europe. The study found that positive large-area anomalies were becoming more common, particularly in Central Europe.