2018 European heatwave
heat wave leading to record-breaking temperatures in Europe during the spring and summer of 2018
The 2018 European drought and heat wave was a period of unusually hot weather that led to record-breaking temperatures and wildfires in many parts of Europe during the spring and summer of 2018. It is part of a larger heat wave affecting the Northern Hemisphere, caused in part by the jet stream being weaker than usual, allowing hot high-pressure air to linger in the same place. According to the European Drought Observatory, most of the areas affected by drought are across northern and central Europe. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the severe heat waves across the Northern Hemisphere in the summer of 2018, are linked to climate change in Europe, as well as events of extreme precipitation.
General
Researchers at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and World Weather Attribution estimated that climate change more than doubled the overall likelihood of the heat wave, and in some places like Denmark made it up to five times as likely. The heat has built up for two months due to slow and weakened jet stream. One possible cause for the jet stream to be slow and weak relates to global warming. In the polar regions, the average surface temperature is rising more quickly than at mid latitudes in a phenomenon called polar amplification. Many researchers believe a strong polar amplification reduces the strength and changes the pattern of the jet stream, producing patterns like those occurring during the 2018 heat wave. Dr.
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