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EUROPE; SUMMER 2022 THE HOTTEST EVER RECORDED, 2022 IN ITS WHOLE IN SECOND PLACE – According to the Copernicus report (here the complete document), 2022 was the second hottest year ever recorded in Europe: the major anomalies affected the north-eastern Scandinavian sector and in general the states bordering the Mediterranean, in particular North-West Italy, France and Spain. More specifically winter, summer and autumn were entirely above average, while spring was slightly below average (a fact that probably avoided the all-year record). Summer 2022, on the other hand, was the hottest ever recorded, 1.4°C above the 1991-2020 thirty-year average and about 0.35°C above the previous record which was set for the summer of 2021. The episodes of sometimes extreme heat they were well above the cold events, with an overt trend of increasing surface temperatures across Europe. It should be noted that Europe is one of those hotspots that is warming at a faster rate than the global average, even twice as fast, and especially the Mediterranean.
RECORD SEAS SURFACE TEMPERATURES AROUND EUROPE – Also according to the report, the average surface temperature of the sea portions around Europe was the highest ever recorded in 2022. In particular the Mediterranean recorded much warmer than normal temperatures from May onwards, however, affected by frequent and sometimes long-lasting intense heat waves from North Africa. Record surface temperatures were also recorded in the Bay of Biscay, the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the Norwegian Sea. Considering the European lakes, as much as 73% of the lake surfaces recorded temperatures above the average, particularly on the southern and western states. Temperatures at times below average instead in the northern European lakes and in those of the eastern states, in particular Ukraine.
EXTREME HEAT WAVES – As mentioned, 2022 was sadly marked by the frequency and duration of sometimes even extreme heat waves during the summer season. The most affected areas were western and southwestern Europe, where a total of one was recorded 30% increase in hot days compared to the average (again with reference to the thirty-year 1991-2020). In particular between the British Isles, France, Holland, Spain and part of Italy during the summer heat peaks temperatures were even 10°C higher than the average. In July, exceptional heat waves led to 40°C in the middle of England, including London, but also Paris. Clearly such a hot climate has had negative influences on human health, but also on plants and animals, with a record number of so-called “high heat stress days”, defined on the basis of some bio-climatic parameters. Needless to say, the area that has been most affected by it is the Mediterranean one. Things didn’t improve in autumn, with October 2022 the warmest on record and a December, which despite a cold start, saw exceptionally abnormal heat over much of the continent from the Christmas holidays until beyond the New Year.
DROUGHT’ – As everyone knows by now, 2022 was terrible on the drought front, especially in Northern Italy, especially the Northwest. But also large portions of European territory have suffered, in particular Spain, France but also Germany, Holland and the British Isles. In its entirety and at European level 2022 was 10% drier than normal, with large portions below average rainfall, particularly in spring and summer. But if you go into detail, the areas of sometimes extreme drought resulted in those of central-western Europe, while there were also rainfall surpluses in Northern Europe and the Eastern sector. Most European rivers recorded below-average flows for the sixth consecutive year: 2022 ranked second among the worst with 63% of rivers having below-average flows. Of these, approximately 30% recorded exceptionally lower than average flow rates during the summer season, including those in Northern Italy. In fact, up to 60% less snow has fallen in the Italian Alps, at the same time the exceptionally high temperatures caused a record melting of the Alpine glaciers.
FIRE – 2022 was a black year also in terms of fires, exacerbated by dry conditions and high temperatures. The most affected areas were those of the Mediterranean but also part of the Balkans: among the states most penalized by fires particular gravity we find Spain, Portugal, France, Slovenia, Czech Republic. The worst phases were from March throughout the summer and then again in October. It is estimated that around 900,000 hectares of land have been burned in Europe.