Trapped Under a "Heat Dome" from the Mediterranean to the UK... Europe Sets Heat Wave Records One After Another

Average Summer Temperature Reaches 24.3°C, Surpassing 2003 Record
Heat Wave Records Broken Across Europe

Italy recorded the highest average summer temperature this year since observations began in 1950. This surpassed the previous record set in 2003, while unprecedented heat waves have also been reported in other European countries, including the United Kingdom and Austria.

On September 7, Yonhap News, citing Italy's ANSA news agency and others, reported that the Institute of Bioeconomy at the National Research Council (CNR-IBE) announced the nationwide average temperature measured at 2 meters above ground level across Italy was 24.3 degrees Celsius this summer.

Italy's average temperature this summer reached the highest level since observations began in 1950. Surpassing the previous record set in 2003, unprecedented heatwaves are also being recorded across European countries including the United Kingdom and Austria. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

This is 0.7 degrees higher than the previous record of 23.6 degrees set in 2003. CNR analyzed temperature data since 1950 using the 'ERA5-Land' dataset from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Notably, this year marked the first time that both July and August were consecutively recorded as the hottest months on record. The national average temperature in August soared to 25.6 degrees Celsius, 1.0 degree above the previous August record of 24.6 degrees set in 2024. Compared to the August average of 20.4 degrees during 1951–1980, it was a substantial 5.2 degrees higher, and even against the recent climate normal of the 1991–2020 average of 22.1 degrees, it was still 3.5 degrees higher.

CNR explained that every month from January to August this year saw higher temperatures than the same period last year. The average spring temperature was also tied for the highest on record at 12.1 degrees, matching the 2024 record. Given these trends, researchers indicated that if the current pattern continues, 2026 could become the hottest year in Italy since 1950. The abnormal heat was particularly pronounced in the northwestern plains, where agricultural land is concentrated, and in the Apennines region. According to CNR’s analysis, primary sectors such as agriculture suffered the most severe impacts, as extreme heat in some areas coincided with drought.

Summer Temperature Records Broken Across Europe

Not just in Italy, but across Europe this year, summer temperature records have been repeatedly broken. According to the UK Met Office, the average summer temperature in the United Kingdom was tentatively recorded at 16.5 degrees Celsius, the highest since records began in 1884. This exceeded the previous all-time high—set just last year—by 0.4 degrees. The UK Met Office analyzed that the likelihood of such high average summer temperatures has increased significantly due to human-induced climate change.

Summer temperature records have been repeatedly broken not only in Italy but across Europe this year. According to the UK Met Office, the average summer temperature in the UK this year was provisionally recorded at 16.5 degrees Celsius, the highest since observations began in 1884. This exceeded the previous record set just last year by 0.4 degrees. AP Yonhap News

Austria also experienced a record-breaking summer. According to GeoSphere Austria, this year’s average summer temperature was 2.6 degrees above the 1991–2020 average, making it the hottest summer ever recorded. On August 5 alone, the temperature exceeded 41 degrees Celsius for the first time in Austrian meteorological history, and more than 100 weather stations broke various temperature records.

Germany was not spared from the extreme heat. According to provisional figures from the German Weather Service (DWD), this summer's average temperature in Germany was 19.6 degrees Celsius, just 0.1 degrees below the 19.7 degrees recorded in 2003. It was the second hottest summer in Germany since observations began in 1881. Nationwide this year, the average number of days exceeding 30 degrees Celsius was about 22, and there were around 5 days when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius.

Omega Blocking Traps Hot Air: Spain Sees 40-Degree Heat Waves in September

The heat wave also caused significant loss of life. According to the Carlos III Health Institute and Ministry of Health’s daily mortality monitoring system (MoMo) in Spain, an estimated 5,111 deaths were related to high temperatures between June and August. By the month, there were 937 deaths in June, 2,025 in July, and 2,149 in August.

This estimate is not a simple sum of individual death certificates listing heat waves as the direct cause, but a statistical estimate based on the difference between expected and actual deaths as well as temperature data. Even so, these figures are seen as highlighting the impact that this year’s record-breaking heat wave had on public health. The heat in Spain persisted even into September—after the meteorological summer had ended. In early September, temperatures rose again in the southern and western parts of the country, with some areas forecast to see highs around 40 degrees Celsius.

One of the key factors fueling the intense European heat wave this summer was the phenomenon known as “Omega Blocking.” The term comes from the resemblance of a pattern in which a massive high-pressure system becomes flanked by low-pressure systems on both sides, creating a formation similar to the Greek letter omega (Ω). This atmospheric setup blocks the typical west-east air flow, causing the high-pressure area to remain stuck over one region for an extended period.

During this process, hot and dry air masses traveling up from North Africa become trapped over Europe, prolonging the heat wave. In fact, Omega Blocking was noted as a main cause during the heat wave that struck Western Europe this June. As unprecedented heat waves occur simultaneously across all of Europe, concerns are mounting that extreme summer temperatures are no longer rare anomalies but have become a new climate risk.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.