This year’s summer in Western Europe has so far been the hottest on record, with repeated heatwaves and near-constant drought.
A climate monitor said the average temperature was 21.62°C (71°F) across the region, beating 2022’s record. Low river levels have hit transportation, irrigation, and energy production in several countries. Britain has seen more days above 30°C (86°F) than in any previous year, with most of August still to come.
The dry, hot conditions have caused thousands of deaths, while wildfires have turned dangerous relics into present dangers: “Europe is full of buried explosives” left over from World Wars I and II, The Conversation noted, and prolonged fires have started to set some off.
