2018 European heatwave
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.
[2] 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.
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.
[6] 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.
Results were increase in elderly mortality; severe decline in yields; the biggest algae bloom in the Baltic sea for decades, that has poisoned water both for human and animals use; shutdowns of nuclear power plants in Europe, because the water in the rivers, that is used for cooling the reactors, was too warm; and electricity grids crashing across four continents.
On 8 August, Statens Serum Institut released a report that showed an increase of about 250 deaths, primarily among elderly, in the summer of 2018 (peak in late July) compared to the norm.
[22][23] The unusually low water-levels in the Gudenå, the longest Danish river, led to fears that the SS Hjejlen would run aground.
[27] Many foreign tourists, apparently unaware of the record-breaking weather, complained about the lack of air conditioning in hotels, which usually is unnecessary.
[30] The French utility company EDF made known that on the morning of 4 August 2018 it had to shut down reactor number one of the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant.
[2] The German Farmer's Association have asked the government for over one billion euros in financial aid, as the expected harvest of rapeseed is down by 30% on last year and grain down by 20%.
[19] Many German nuclear power plants reduced their electricity output, as the river temperatures were too warm to safely absorb the full amount of waste heat from their cooling systems[19] without causing environmental damage (such as fish kills).
local time on 23 July, since in Greek law, public sites can be closed if temperatures reach 36 °C (97 °F) to prevent ill health.
[55] The Norwegian government has imposed water restrictions and the cost of electricity is expected to rise due to a high dependency on hydro-electric generation.
[51] In the Banak peninsula in northern Norway a temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) was recorded on 30 July 2018, which is considered extremely unusual for a region located north of the Arctic Circle.
[29] Oslo experienced its warmest summer day for 80 years with the maximum of 34.6 °C (94.3 °F) Polish authorities banned swimming at more than 50 beaches, due to the outbreak of toxic cyanobacteria, forming in warmer waters.
[60][61][62] After three very dry years, drought conditions in Catalonia were widespread, but the rain of the first four months of the 2018 was higher than the climatic average and the agriculture recovered from the water deficit.
The minimum temperature also stayed very high during the weekend, with some values around 30 °C in the Empordà coast (NE of Catalonia) and in the center of the city of Barcelona.
[60][61][62] The automatic weather station of Portbou (Alt Empordà) registered two consecutive nights above 30 °C, with a minimum record of 31.0 °C throughout day 4 (0-24h UTC).
Between Saturday and Sunday, the weather observer from L'Estartit (Baix Empordà) measured the warmest night of its 49 years of data: 29.2 °C of minimum temperature.
More than 50 wildfires, ranging from north of the Arctic Circle to the southernmost county of Scania, occurred and have been called the most serious in the country in modern history by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.
[51] Extreme forest fires and continuous drought conditions due to high temperatures caused short supplies for animal food, forcing farmers to resort to imports.
[75] On 30 July, the Swedish nuclear power plant Ringhals-2 was shut down, as the temperature in Kattegat sea waters exceeded the design limit 25 °C for the reactor cooling system.
[78] Fearing wildfires, authorities banned outdoor fires in the canton of Valais and in the Rhine river valley of Grisons.
[2] A heatwave was officially declared on 22 June and it caused widespread drought, hosepipe bans and the 2018 United Kingdom wildfires.
These series of wildfires worst affected moorland areas of the UK around the Greater Manchester region, the largest of which being at Saddleworth Moor and Winter Hill which together burned over 14 square miles (36 km2) over a period of nearly a month.
