– Not to step on anyone’s toes, but these are northern Norwegian summer temperatures. That’s what news’s meteorologist Kristian Gislefoss says about the weather, which has certainly disappointed several sun-happy tourists who have made the trip to southern Spain in recent weeks. Because although the long-term forecast before summer has predicted record high temperatures in some areas of Europe, they have been abnormally cold in southern parts of Spain recently. In Madrid, night temperatures have been as low as 12 degrees, while in Seville it has been between 15-20 degrees during the day. In other words, the northerners, with temperatures of well over 20 degrees in recent weeks, have been the clear winners in the weather duel between southern Spain and northern Norway. – Usually the temperature tends to be 30-35 degrees in southern Spain at this time, now it has been almost 20 degrees colder in the last few days. It has probably happened before, but it certainly doesn’t happen every year, says Gislefoss. The pictures show how the weather changes from Thursday to Sunday. The blue color illustrates colder temperatures than is usual for the season, while the orange and red show areas where it is warmer than normal. The gray areas are areas where the temperature is within normal range. Not normal for the time of year The meteorologist explains the violent change from sweater weather to sweat party in just a few days, with a shift between low pressure and high pressure. Something that both southern and eastern residents have also had a taste of during the spring. Because with a bang start to the summer with up to 30 degrees for several weeks, it literally became a cold shower when a low pressure pushed the summer and the high pressure north. Both Gislefoss and climate researcher Clemes Spensberger at the University of Bergen are careful not to connect the cool “southern weather” with climate change. – You have to distinguish between what is weather and what is climate, says Spensberger. – This change we are now seeing in Spain is a one-off event, and is due to the weather changing, says Gislefoss. With high temperatures, the likelihood of torrential rain also increases. This photo shows floodwaters after heavy rain in Murcia, southern Spain on June 12. Photo: Carmen Estaban Sanchez / Reuters If, however, you look at the more frequent heat waves and constantly new heat records, it can clearly be linked to climate change. Both meteorologists and climate scientists agree on that. – We will probably expect more frequent heat waves in the south of Europe, rather than it being colder than it usually is in the summer. The weather will always vary from day to day, but unfortunately the climate is pointing in that direction, it will get warmer, says Gislefoss. That’s why Europe is getting warmer Heat waves in Europe come more often, last longer, and reach higher temperatures than before. Researchers are now clear that this is largely due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Swipe to read more about how summers have changed, and what we can do with that. AP How much warmer it has become The probability of heat waves in the world is almost three times as great now, as it was before the industrial revolution. In recent years, large parts of Europe have had maximum temperatures around 10 degrees warmer than normal. AP Every degree counts Scientists have been studying human influence on the climate since the early 20th century, and the evidence has grown stronger since then. Nevertheless, the world’s emissions have continued to increase. If global warming reaches 2 degrees, the number of heat waves in the world will probably double from today’s level. 4 degrees of warming can double the number of heat waves once again, according to the UN climate panel. But now something is happening. AP Is there hope? It may be that the world has finally reached the emission peak. The less greenhouse gases we release, the less these changes will continue to escalate. Many big cities have also become better at handling heat waves. Such measures have already meant that fewer people die from the heat than they would otherwise. Heat waves are the new normal Climate researcher at NORCE and Bjerknessentret, Marie Pontoppidan, says it is difficult to link individual events to climate change – but that large fluctuations can be linked to more extreme weather conditions. That there are long and hot periods in the summer is nothing new, it is in many ways what defines the summer itself. What differs from previous years is the frequency, length and strength of these waves of warm air. Today, the temperature in Rome reached 40 degrees, while in Athens it is reported to reach 38 degrees at the weekend. – We see that the extremes are becoming more extreme. It is both towards more rainfall, longer rainfall, but it is also towards more drought and warmer temperatures, so you get bigger fluctuations. – Actually more unpleasant weather, says Pontoppidan. Pedestrians walk past a street sign with temperatures showing 52 degrees during a heat wave in Seville last July. A stark contrast to the cool weather they’ve had lately. Photo: CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP According to the meteorologist and climate scientists, there is no need to fear cool temperatures if you turn your nose south this summer. Quite the contrary. – The latest seasonal forecast indicates a high probability that it will be quite warm down in those areas this year as well, says Pontoppidan. Published 20.06.2024, at 20.14
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Abnormal temperature fluctuations in Spain – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
