A recent study examined 60 years of near-surface air temperature data in North-West Europe, revealing that the maximum temperature on the hottest days is rising twice as fast as the maximum temperature on average summer days. These findings emphasize the necessity for immediate action from policymakers to adjust crucial infrastructure in response to the consequences of climate change.
Dr. Patterson said: “These findings underline the fact that the UK and neighboring countries are already experiencing the effects of climate change and that last year’s heatwave was not a fluke. Policymakers urgently need to adapt their infrastructure and health systems to cope with the impacts of higher temperatures.”, Dr. Patterson analyzed data from the past 60 years recording the maximum daily temperature, provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Although the maximum recorded temperature varied between years, the overall trend clearly showed that the hottest days for North-West Europe had warmed at twice the rate of average summer days. For England and Wales, the average summer day increased by approximately 0.26°C per decade, whilst the hottest day increased by around 0.58°C per decade. However, this faster warming of the hottest days was not observed to this extent elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.
Dr. Patterson added: “Understanding the warming rate of the hottest days will be important if we are to improve climate model simulation of extreme events and make accurate predictions about the future intensity of such events. If our models underestimate the rise in extreme temperatures over the coming decades, we will underestimate the impacts this will have.”