Record heat in October: Europe's climate in a state of alarm!

Record heat in October: Europe's climate in a state of alarm!

An alarming weather phenomenon shook Europe in October 2024! Temperatures shot to an average of 10.83 °C - a whopping 1.23 °C above the long-term average from 1991 to 2020. These record values ​​make October the fifth warmest since weather records began. Meteorologists are amazed and warn of the catastrophic consequences of this extreme warming.

“The ongoing heat anomalies are much more than just a short-term weather deviation,” explains Dominik Jung, a leading meteorologist at wetter.net. Of particular concern is the dramatic warming in the European Arctic, where sea ice has fallen to alarmingly low levels. Jung makes it clear that the causes of this record heat are a dangerous interplay of natural and man-made factors. “El Niño does intensify the heat, but without human influence on the climate, such temperatures would hardly be conceivable,” he warns urgently.

Emissions drive the temperatures up

Almost all of Europe is affected by this above-average heat, even if the differences vary regionally. “Science agrees: our emissions are driving up temperatures and permanently destabilizing our climate,” says Jung. The global climate balance is in jeopardy and the likelihood of 2024 being the warmest year on record is alarmingly high. However, Jung predicts a real “cold whip” for the winter – an extreme weather event that will keep people on tenterhooks.

The effects of these records on the environment are immense. Jung warns urgently: "We stand on the threshold of a new era of weather extreme." Regions such as Japan and the United States have already recorded temperature records, and the conditions could further exacerbate. The ERA5 data set clearly shows that immediate measures are necessary to prevent the worst scenarios. A drastic reduction in greenhouse gases is now our only means to mitigate the effects!