Why Temperature Records Are Being Not Only Broken But Smashed Across western Europe, temperatures have surged to unprecedented levels, with the UK experiencing its hottest May day on two consecutive days. On Tuesday, the country recorded temperatures exceeding 35°C, surpassing the previous May record by more than 2°C. The Met Office described this heat as "exceptional," even for summer conditions, and emphasized its rarity in spring. Similarly, France is grappling with an early-season heatwave, with hundreds of temperature records shattered. The island of Ireland also saw its May temperature record broken by over 2°C, while Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland faced unusually hot conditions for this time of year. The immediate cause of this extreme heat is a "heat dome" — a high-pressure system that traps warm air over an area, creating prolonged periods of intense heat. However, scientists attribute the severity of the event to human-driven climate change. The burning of fossil fuels has accelerated global warming, making heatwaves more intense and frequent. Over the past 30 years, Europe has warmed by 0.56°C per decade, more than double the global average. This rapid warming has intensified heat extremes, with experts noting that even a weather event from the 1970s would now "smash" records due to the warmer baseline. The phenomenon of record-breaking temperatures is not limited to Europe. In India, temperatures in Delhi reached 45°C, highlighting the global scale of the issue. Climate scientists like Erich Fischer of ETH Zurich explained that in a stable climate, records should become rarer over time. However, in a rapidly warming world, the margin between record-breaking events can be vast.#imperial_college_london #heat_dome #climate_change_committee #erich_fischer #richard_betts
