Summer 2024, the hottest ever recorded:record thermal stress in south-eastern Europe

Heat stress is an indicator of how different thermal environments affect the human body and is monitored through the Universal Thermal Climate Index

ROME - In 2024, Europe experienced the hottest summer on record.In particular, south-eastern Europe recorded up to 60% more "hot days" than average.“In south-eastern Europe, local people experienced severe heat stress for 66 days in summer 2024.This is the highest number ever recorded for south-eastern Europe, considering that the average number of days of severe heat stress during the summer is around 29".The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) points this out by presenting a preliminary analysis of conditions observed during the summer of 2024 in Europe, described by key climate variables and derived indices.C3S is implemented by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Ecmwf) on behalf of the European Commission, with funding from the EU.
“In 2024, Europe experienced the hottest summer on record.Extreme temperatures in regions such as south-eastern Europe are having an impact on the well-being of Europeans, as citizens of this region are experiencing heat stress like never before”, warns Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Heat stress is an indicator of how different thermal environments affect the human body and is monitored through the Universal Thermal Climate Index.

During the European summer of 2024 (June-July-August), temperatures varied in space and time across the continent.As for the seasonal average, they were close to or below average in the northwest, while areas of southeastern Europe and northern Fennoscandia (the part of Europe that includes Finland and the Scandinavian peninsula, ed.) seen the hottest summer on record.South-eastern Europe recorded up to 60% more “hot days” than average.
Record sea surface temperatures (Sst) have been observed in the Mediterranean Sea.The Sst, averaged over the entire basin, reached the highest daily values ​​ever recorded, with a peak of 28.45 degrees on August 13, according to Era5 data.
In terms of rainfall, Europe saw a stark contrast between regions.While most of the continent saw a below-average number of days of rain, particularly the south east, other regions, including the northern UK, Fennoscandia and the Baltics, saw up to 20 days of rain in more than average.Furthermore, 35% of Europe's rivers were significantly or exceptionally low, especially in the south-east, while much of central Europe recorded averagely high river flows for this time of year.