Southeastern Europe experienced a record number of days with”strong” heat stress, meaning the perceived temperature, which takes into account factors like wind speed and humidity, was 32 C or above, on 66 days — or two-thirds of the three summer months. The average for the region is 29 days.
Some areas of Greece and Turkey dealt with these conditions every single summer day, reaching what’s called “very strong heat stress” of perceived temperatures above 38 C for around two months.
Regions in “much of southern and eastern Europe” also experienced very strong heat stress, and small parts of Spain and Turkey even saw “extreme” heat stress, equivalent to perceived temperatures of above 46 C, a level dangerous to human health.
In contrast, parts of northwestern Europe — including areas of Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom — experienced a cooler-than-average summer this year.
Data visualization by Giovanna Coi.