2006 European heat wave
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| 2006 European heat wave | ||
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| Dates | 26 June 2006 to 30 July 2006 | |
| Areas affected | Mostly western Europe | |
The 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries. The UK, France, Benelux, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany are most affected. Several records were broken. In The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the UK, July 2006 was the warmest month since official measurements began.
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[edit] Country-by-country
[edit] Belgium
Belgium experienced two heat waves in July, 2006. Before 1990 a heat wave occurred about once every 8 years, but during the last decade the country averages one heat wave per year. On July 19, 2006, temperatures throughout the entire country rose to 36 °C (97 °F), making it the hottest day in almost 60 years. The highest temperatures were recorded at the stations of Kleine Brogel and Genk, which measured 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) and 38.3 °C (100.9 °F), respectively.
There have been 36 consecutive days of temperatures above 25 °C (75 °F) where the heat wave lasted for 34 days straight. In the rest of the country, the second heat wave lasted for 17 days. The heat wave ended on July 30 in Belgium and on July 31 in Campine.
July has been the warmest month in Belgium since records began in 1830 with average maximum temperatures of 28.6 °C in Uccle, Brussels. This 1.8 °C warmer than the previous record set in July, 1994 and 7 °C warmer than the 30-year meteorological average for Belgium. July 2006 was also one of the sunniest months in Belgian history, with 316 hours of sunshine or more than 140 hours more than what's considered normal.
[edit] Denmark
Denmark experienced the warmest July ever with an average temperature (day and night) of 19.8 degrees, breaking a record of 19.5 degrees set in 1994. It was the second warmest month ever, behind August 1997 at 20.4 degrees. It was also the sunniest July ever, and the second sunniest ever, at 321 hours. In fact the previous July record was 290 hours. Since Denmark escaped the extremes seen further south, it is now known as one of the best summer months ever. [1]
[edit] France
Heat in France has destroyed many crops, just days before the harvest period, while French officials say at least 40 people have been confirmed to have been killed by the heat wave directly. Temperatures as high as 40C (104F) were recorded in Paris during the heatwave.
[edit] Ireland
Ireland was affected from the heat wave since the start of June, and the warm weather continued until the end of July.
Temperatures were well above average for both months. The highest recorded in June was 25.8 °C (78.44 °F) at Claremorris, County Mayo on 8 June. In Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, there were 29 consecutive days in July with temperatures over 20 °C (68 °F), and 9 of these days had temperatures over 25 °C (77 °F). July 2006 was the warmest July in Ireland since records began. By the end of July, temperatures began to return to average figures.
On 18 July, a temperature of 30.1 ºC was recorded in Birr, County Offaly; the same day, 30.2 ºC was recorded at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny and Shannon Airport, County Clare. However, temperatures peaked at 31.0 ºC on 19 July at Casement Aerodrome. Temperatures over 30 °C (86 °F) are rare in Ireland, being recorded about once every decade - 1976, 1983, 1995 and now 2006 are the most recent times of such high temperatures. The highest ever recorded in Ireland was 33.3 °C (91.94 °F) at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny on 26 June 1887.
To put this into context, average daily maximums in Ireland in only vary from 16 °C - 20 °C (61 °F - 68 °F) in June; and 18 °C - 23 °C (64 °F - 73 °F) in July.
Despite the high daytime temperatures, night time temperatures were substanially below average (6 °C - 8 °C in June; 9 °C - 12 °C in July). Grass temperatures as low as -2.3 °C (27.86 °F) were recorded at Birr, County Offaly on 23 June, however the lowest air temperature recorded was 3.8 °C (38.84 °F) recorded at the same location on the same date. The cool night time temperatures are thought to have made the heat wave more bearable there.
Sunshine levels were very high all over the country, with 257 hours of sunshine recorded at Cork Airport, County Cork in June (making it the sunniest June since records began) and 283 hours of sunshine at Rosslare, County Wexford in July (sunniest July since 1990).
Rainfall levels were also quite low, with only 17.1 mm (0.67in) of rain at Rosslare, County Wexford in June and 14.0 mm (0.55in) of rain recorded at Casement Aerodrome in July. Parts of Munster and Leinster also recorded 21 days between 28 May and 17 June where no rainfall was recorded. There was also a period between 9 July and 27 July when no rainfall was recorded in Greater Dublin. Despite the low rainfall, drought was not an issue in Ireland.
In Ireland, May 2006 was the warmest for 20 years and sunniest since 2000; June 2006 was the sunniest on record, driest since 1995 and also one of the warmest; July 2006 was the warmest on record, sunniest in 15 years and also driest since 1989; August 2006 was average; September 2006 was the warmest on record; October 2006 was the warmest in many places since 2001 and sunniest since 2000; and November 2006 was warmer and sunnier than usual. Overall, Summer 2006 (June, July and August) was the sunniest, driest and warmest summer since 1995; and one of the sunniest, driest and warmest on record. Autumn 2006 (September, October, November) was the warmest on record in many places, and sunshine levels were well above normal; however, rainfall levels were also above average too.
The months of June and July 2006 are now regarded as one of the best summers ever due to the high levels of sunshine, warm temperatures and low rainfall. Drought and health problems were not an issue in Ireland, unlike many parts of Europe - mostly because the heat was not as severe there.
Sources: Met Éireann June 2006 Report and Met Éireann July 2006 Report.
[edit] Sweden
According to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), the city of Lund in Skåne in southern Sweden has had the highest average temperatures (day and night: 21.6 °C and 70.9 °F) for the month of July since records began in 1859. The rest of Sweden has however not broken the daily average temperatures from the record year 1994.
The highest temperature in Sweden this July was recorded in Målilla in Småland, where a temperature of 34.2 °C (93.6 °F) was recorded on July 6. This is the highest temperature recorded in the country since July 1994 when Kalmar and Söderhamn had 35.1 °C (95.2 °F). Målilla and Ultuna are the places where the highest temperature ever in Sweden was recorded, 38.0 °C (100.4 °F), in 1947 and 1933 respectively.
[edit] The Netherlands
July 2006
On July 21, the KNMI statistics showed July 2006 is the warmest July on record for the Netherlands. Around 500 or 1,000 more people than usual died in July 2006 [2] [1]
Earlier, a 4-day walking event had been cancelled after only one day as several people collapsed the first day, two of them eventually dying due to fatal heat stroke. Forecasts showed even higher temperatures of 36 °C (97 °F) for the next day, causing the organization to cancel the remainder of the event. [3]
The highest temperature was recorded on July 19 (see picture), when temperatures reached for most of the country the mid to upper 90's. Especially in the southeast temperatures were in the upper 90's. The all time record for the month of July was broken; temperatures soared to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. At some places especially in the southeast of The Netherlands temperatures passed 86 degrees for 15 or 16 days. And the average daytime month temperature was 86 degrees Fahrenheit again in the southeast of The Netherlands and the lowest daytime temperature was at some locations 75.5 °F. for the whole month of July. For two days daytime temperatures were below 77 °F, making 29 days with temperatures of 77 degrees and higher. During days when temperatures reached 86 degrees or higher, and on days without wind, the smog level was high. Warnings were given on the TV and on the radio, advising people to stay indoors as much as possible, because the air pollution was above average and it was dangerously hot.
The Netherlands had also to deal with extreme drought, in June and July it practically didn't rain. The rainfall in June was at some locations right around 0.20 of an inch, July was also extreme dry. Because of the extreme heat and drought everything was very dry and the humidity levels were very low too, causing brushfires.
[edit] United Kingdom
At 14:32 BST on Wednesday, July 19, 2006, it was confirmed that the previous highest July maximum temperature, (36.0 °C, 96.8 °F at Epsom, Surrey in 1911), had been beaten at Charlwood, near Gatwick Airport with a temperature of 36.3 °C (97.3 °F). Later it was confirmed that 36.5 °C (97.7 °F) had been recorded at Wisley, Surrey. This confirmed that the period of prolonged warm weather was a true heat wave. However, despite some predictions, the United Kingdom's all-time temperature high of 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) attained at Faversham, Kent, on 10 August 2003 was not reached.
Drought has been an issue in many parts of the United Kingdom after a very dry winter. There was warning of drought occurring from the early months of 2006. Following this dry winter, with extreme heat occurring in the country and little rain; it is putting increasing strain on water supplies and hose-pipe bans have been issued in many counties. The Environment Agency claims that the UK may have the severest drought in 100 years.
Some power cuts also occurred, some after lightning strikes and some due to large amounts of electricity used by air conditioners. In Central London on 27 July 2006 a series of power cuts hit Piccadilly Circus, Regent's Street and Oxford Circus causing the closure of shops and businesses, when pre-existing faults were worsened by heavy demand.
The Met Office confirmed that July 2006 was the warmest month on record across the UK, and a number of regional records were also broken.[4]
[edit] Period after the heat wave
Due to the extreme heat in July 2006, the ocean water reached a temperature normally reached in September. This increase in water temperature led to faster evaporation of ocean waters, making August one of the cloudiest and wettest months in recorded history in various western European countries. Many weather experts report this to be a direct consequence of the heat wave, as the high evaporation rate caused the atmosphere to generate many low pressure areas. Despite this, September 2006 was again the warmest September on record, in the UK and elsewhere, due to high ocean temperatures, altered atmospheric pressure zones, and consquently different wind directions over Europe. The pressure zone changes were a consequence of the extra-tropical remnants of Atlantic hurricanes settling over the British isles.
The Met Office announced on 16th October 2006 that the extended summer of May to September 2006 was the hottest summer ever recorded, the Central England temperature mean temperature of 16.2 °C for this summer was 2 °C warmer than the average temperatures of 1961-1990.[5]
Record-breaking temperatures in September, October and November 2006 in the Netherlands
Just two months after July 2006, September 2006 showed itself the warmest September ever recorded since official measurements started. Additionally, October 2006 and November 2006 also broke several temperature records. October 2006 was one of the warmest Octobers since measurements began, and November 2006 seems to go in the books as the second warmest Novembers since official measurements started. With temperatures of 16 to 18 °C, varying from the north of the Netherlands to Belgium at the end of ovember, previous records has been shattered. The fall of 2006 is the warmest fall in history, breaking the old record of 2005 by 1.4°C as of November 26.
Such an sequence of events is unheard of in the Netherlands meteorological history, estimated to happen every 8.000 years when not taking global warming into account. It's been a result of a unique mixture of a hot summer increasing marine temperatures and Northern Atlantic hurricanes settling as depressings of the coast of Scotland, giving the European continent a constant stream of southern, fast winds rendering it unable to cool down from the Mediterranean through northern Europe.
