We might only be a few days into July, but two record-breaking summer heatwaves have already provided the UK and Europe with a snapshot of their new climate.
Hot on the heels of May’s heat, June saw temperature records not only broken but smashed in what the UN’s weather agency called an “extraordinary” event across the continent.
And after a brief period of respite, another heatwave is on the way.
If this feels unusual, that is because it is. But it is also exactly what scientists predicted in our warmer world, driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels releasing heat-trapping greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.
“Human-induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense,” said Prof Stephen Belcher, chief scientist at the UK Met Office.
The intensity of these heatwaves is evident from how far temperatures were above normal in May and June averaged across the UK, marked here in red.
