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Compared to July 2001, temperatures in July 2003 were sizzling. Warming has also influenced the way that weather patterns, including those that usher in heat waves, behave.One of the clearest findings of climate science is that heat waves are becoming more common, more intense and longer as a result of global warming. The heat wave raised concerns over global warming and, in particular, Europe’s readiness for climate change.
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Heat waves today are already happening in a world that is 1.5°F (0.85°C) warmer than at the beginning of the 20th century. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. European Heat Wave 2003 More than 70,000 people died during a record-breaking heat wave that left Europe sweltering in June, July and August 2003. One of the clearest findings of climate science is that heat waves are becoming more common, more intense and longer as a result of global warming. More than 70,000 people died during a record-breaking heat wave that left Europe sweltering in June, July and August 2003.
European heat wave of 2003, record high temperatures across Europe in 2003 that resulted in at least 30,000 deaths (more than 14,000 in France alone). In the first quantitative climate change attribution assessment, researchers found that human influence at least doubled the risk of a heatwave exceeding the threshold passed during the extreme European heat wave of 2003.The period of extreme heat is thought to be the warmest for up to 500 years, and many European countries experienced their highest temperatures on record. This article was most recently revised and updated by In what American state did the first McDonald’s restaurant open? By Shaoni Bhattacharya At least 35,000 people died as a result of the record heatwave that scorched Europe in August 2003, says an environmental think tank. Gathering data from 16 European countries, our study disclosed that more than 70,000 additional deaths occurred in Europe during the summer of 2003, of which more than 20,000 before August. Google Earth - July 1 - 31, 2003 KML Europe was experiencing a historic heat wave that had been responsible for at least 3,000 deaths in France alone in the summer of 2003. he extreme drought and heat wave that hit Europe in the summer of 2003 had enormous adverse social, economic and environmental effects, such as the death of thousands of vulnerable elderly people, the destruction of large areas of forests by fire, and effects on water ecosystems and glaciers. History at your fingertips A 2012 study identifies an eastward shift of blocking events over the North Atlantic (fewer cases of blocking over Greenland and more frequent blocking over the eastern North Atlantic) and the North Pacific.Since 2003, Europe has been affected by two notable heat waves in 2006 and 2015 that were caused by very similar meteorological conditions. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. From June 2003 through mid-August, temperatures in Europe were 20 to 30 percent higher than the seasonal average over a large portion of the continent, extending from northern Spain to the Czech Republic, from Germany to Italy.The heat wave caused tragic deaths of more than 70,000 peopleIn a July 2016 study, scientists specified the number of deaths during the heat wave in Paris and London specifically attributable to climate change.The immediate cause of the extreme and unprecedented weather was a high pressure system that remained stagnant over the region, blocked by two areas of low pressure (what is known as atmospheric blocking).
Excess mortality reached exceptionally high levels during the second week of the August heat wave in France. It shows an area of high pressure over most of Western Europe. The European heat wave during the summer of 2003 is considered to be one of the major climate anomalies in recent times. This paper reviews the European summer heat wave of 2003, with special emphasis on the first half of August 2003, jointly with its significant societal and environmental impact … Above is a weather chart for midday on 5 August 2003.