A new heat map published by the European Space Agency offers a colorful, bird's-eye-view of last week's heatwave in Southern Europe.

As showcased by the swath of organs and red hues blanketing much of the Mediterranean, much of Southern Europe experienced highs near 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the string of extreme highs, ESA's Earth-observing and weather satellites helped track developments from Earth's upper atmosphere. Satellites like Copernicus Sentinel-3A tracked wildfires and measure surface temperatures, enabling the creation of the newly published heat map.

"The map uses data from the satellite's Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer, which measures energy radiating from Earth's surface in nine spectral bands -- the map therefore represents temperature of the land surface, not air temperature which is normally used in forecasts," ESA officials wrote in a blog update.

Over the weekend, a cool front moved across the region providing relief to southern and eastern Europe, but forecasts suggest more hot weather is on the way.

Meteorologists say the heatwave was the region's hottest and most sustained since 2003. A spate of water shortages and wildfires have been blamed on the heatwave. At least five people died as a result of the extreme heat.

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Can poor air quality mask global warming's effects
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 09, 2017
During the 20th century, the average temperature of the continental United States rose by almost 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degree Celsius) - everywhere, that is, except in the Southeast. There, until the 1980s, the temperature actually decreased slightly. Climate scientists dubbed this peculiar phenomenon the "warming hole," and it was the cause of much speculation. But beginning in the 1990s, te ... read more

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