A potent anticyclone named Cerberus, which takes its moniker from the creature in Dante's Inferno, is advancing from the south, with forecasts predicting temperatures to breach 40C across a large swathe of Italy. This sweltering heatwave follows a period marked by a multitude of storms and floods throughout spring and early summer.
The current record for the highest temperature recorded in Europe is held by the town of Floridia in the Sicilian province of Syracuse, where the thermometer registered 48.8C on 11th August 2021. This record stands to be surpassed in the imminent future, given the present heatwave's intensity.
Data gathered from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission's radiometer instrument provides a startling illustration of this ongoing heatwave. Images captured between 9 and 10 July clearly depict land surface temperatures exceeding 45C in several Italian cities, including Rome, Naples, Taranto, and Foggia. The eastern slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily have also experienced temperatures rising above 50C.
The data, captured in late morning at around 11:30 CEST, shows the land surface temperature, which is often significantly hotter than the ambient air temperature, and continued to rise through the afternoon. Scientists regularly monitor these land surface temperatures to better comprehend and predict weather and climatic trends, as well as to track wildfires. These temperature records also serve farmers looking to optimize their irrigation systems and urban planners aiming to enhance heat mitigation strategies.
Air temperatures in other European cities are similarly anticipated to reach punishing levels, with parts of Spain bracing for highs of 44C this week. Recent measurements show land surface temperatures reaching 46C in Rome, Italy, and Madrid and Seville in Spain seeing temperatures of 46 and 47C, respectively.
Benjamin Koetz, Mission Scientist of the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission, remarked on the situation, "Climate warming amplified this year by El Nino severely affects food production, water availability as well as our health. To properly adapt to these changes we need timely information at actionable resolution which the Copernicus programme is providing with Sentinel-3 and soon with the Copernicus Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission at 50 m resolution."
This European heatwave trails in the wake of globally unprecedented high temperatures. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the initial days of July have been the hottest ever recorded worldwide, following the warmest June on record. The Copernicus Climate Change Service report asserts that June 2023 was approximately 0.5C above the 1991-2020 average, marked by unparalleled sea surface temperatures and a record low Antarctic sea ice extent.
El Nino, the climatic phenomenon causing increased temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, coincides with this heatwave, further driving up global temperatures and setting the stage for additional weather records to be broken.
A recent study published in Nature Medicine stated that over 60,000 deaths across Europe were attributed to last year's summer heatwaves. The mortality rate was notably high in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. This summer's heatwave is projected to be even more severe, with organizations like the Red Cross urging both residents and tourists to exercise utmost caution and pay extra attention to those most susceptible to high temperatures.
Related Links
Sentinel-3 at ESA
Weather News at TerraDaily.com
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