Atmospheric patterns are trapping hot air for days, driving temperatures steadily higher – a phenomenon exacerbated by global warming, experts say
Europe braced Wednesday for another day of an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed records in many countries and sent air conditioner sales zooming in a continent unused and ill-equipped to handle searing heat.
The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric and circulation patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, causing the mercury to slowly rise, with these factors exacerbated by global warming, experts say.
France’s national temperature indicator – an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations – reached 29.8C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947.
Sales of fans and air conditioners meanwhile skyrocketed in a country where most buildings are not designed to deal with extreme heat.
