Scientists in the EU say that June was the hottest on record for Western Europe.

Scientists from the EU confirmed on Thursday that Western Europe experienced its warmest June ever. An extreme heatwave in late-June smashed temperatures records, disrupted electricity supplies, and closed schools.

In a monthly bulletin, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service C3S reported that June was the second warmest month on record. The planet also experienced its highest June sea surface temperature since records began.

Data showed that the average temperature for Western Europe in June was 20,74 degrees Celsius, which is more than 3 C higher than the average of the period 1991-2020.

Copernicus defines a?region that extends from Spain, the United Kingdom and eastwards to Italy, Germany and a part of Austria. Western Europe has now experienced three heatwaves, one each in Spain and Portugal.

Samantha Burgess is the strategic lead for the European Centre?for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. The result is a warmer ocean and more intense heatwaves. This poses a growing risk to people, ecosystems, and infrastructure in Europe and beyond.

The heatwave in June caused more than 4,700 deaths in France (and possibly elsewhere), Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. This number is likely to rise in other countries. In addition, the heatwave fueled wildfires and drought conditions in Iberia, France, and France.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation, greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from the burning of coal, oil, and gas, has increased the average temperature on the planet to about 1.4 C higher than pre-industrial times. This higher baseline allows temperatures to reach higher peaks in heatwaves.

Joeri Rogelj is a climate scientist from Imperial College London. She said that the relationship between heatwaves and global warming was as simple as you can get: as the planet gets hotter, there will more heatwaves. They will also become more intense. C3S, a global climate agency, said that other?factors played a role in pushing sea surface temperatures up to a new record for June. This included the development of a strong El Nino?weather system in the Pacific Ocean. A scientific study found that El Nino did not play a role in Europe's heatwave of June, but climate change was a major factor.

C3S temperature records date back to 1940 and are cross-checked against global temperature records going back to 1850.

(source: Reuters)