North America has just been through the warmest month of June since the measurements began. In Europe, June this year was the second warmest ever, according to EU researchers.
June was particularly hot in the west of the USA and Canada, as well as in Finland and the west of Russia, the EU’s climate change service Copernicus states.
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, a heat record was set three days in a row in June. The region was 1.2 degrees warmer than normal for the period 1991–2020.
“Heat waves more likely”
“These heat waves do not occur in a vacuum. They occur in a world where the climate is getting warmer, and they are now more likely to occur,” climate scientist Julien Nicolas at Copernicus warned.
“What happened in Canada was a big jump compared to previous records. These heat records are a powerful reminder of how climate change is affecting our lives,” Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said.
The service makes monthly reports on, among other things, air temperatures and sea ice. Copernicus collects data from satellites, aircraft, and weather stations worldwide.
Hot and dry
A heat record was also set in Helsinki. The Finnish capital has not experienced such a hot month in June since they started keeping statistics in 1844. In Northern Siberia, summer temperatures were extremely high.
“The heat waves in North America, Western Russia, and Northern Siberia are just the latest example of a trend that is expected to continue in the future and is related to global warming,” climate scientist Nicolas stated.
In many places in Europe, it was also drier than normal in June. Parts of the United States, Canada, South America, and China also received less rainfall than normal.
Even worldwide, this year’s June is among the warmest ever recorded. June has been warmer only three times before: in 2016, 2019, and 2020. June 2021 shares fourth place with June 2018.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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