Climate of Europe

Southern Europe has a distinctively Mediterranean climate, which features warm to hot, dry summers and cool to mild winters and frequent sunny skies.

Central-eastern Europe is classified as having a humid continental climate, which features warm to hot summers and cold winters.

In terms of monthly sunshine averages, much of temperate Europe sees considerably less than the northern United States and eastern Asia.

The climate of Western Europe is milder in comparison to other areas of the same latitude around the globe due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.

[citation needed] The hottest summers on the continent occur in cities and towns in the interior of southern Spain, located within the Guadalquivir Valley.

The heat and drought killed 72,210 people across 15 countries, making it the sixth deadliest disaster worldwide in the first two decades of the 21st century.

The Netherlands has the highest average number of recorded tornadoes per area of any country in the world (more than 20, or 0.0005 per km2), annually), followed by the UK (around 33, or 0.0001 per km2), per year),[26][27] but most are small and cause minor damage.

In October 2005, Tropical Depression Vince hit southern Spain, producing wind gusts as strong as 77 km/h (48 mph) in Rota, Cádiz, while rainfall reached 84 mm (3.3 in) in Córdoba Province.