What is driving the heat across Europe this week?

Europe is currently grappling with a severe heatwave, driven by a phenomenon known as a heat dome. This atmospheric condition involves a large area of high pressure that traps hot air, preventing it from dissipating and leading to scorching temperatures across the continent.

The heat dome acts like a lid, suppressing cloud formation and allowing relentless sunshine to bake the ground. While heat domes are not uncommon during European summers, scientists emphasize that the current temperatures and the extent to which records are being broken are highly unusual. In some parts of Western Europe, temperatures are running approximately 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above the seasonal average.

Global warming, fueled by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, is identified as a major factor supercharging these extreme heat events. The background temperature is raised, making each heatwave more intense than it would otherwise be. Europe is warming at a rate two to three times the global average, making it the continent experiencing the fastest temperature increase worldwide.