Germany braces for fourth heatwave of summer – “That is not normal anymore. It’s everything other than normal.”
22 July 2019 (The Local) – Temperatures could exceed 38C in some parts of the Bundesrepublik this week during a record fourth summer heat wave.
On Thursday temperatures around Germany will spike to up 38C – reigning in the fourth heat wave of the summer.
Due to climate change, says Latif, there is double the amount of Hitzewellen in Germany as in 1980.
“That is not normal anymore,” said Mojib Latif, a climate researcher at the Helmholz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, told the Augsburger Allgemeine. “It’s everything other than normal.” […]
Thursday is likely to be the hottest day of the week, say meteorologists, with temperatures around the country rising to between 33 and 38C around the country, and potentially even hotter in some places.
Staying cool amid the heat
In light of the heat wave, which according to current forecasts could last at least until the weekend following this one, it’s important to drink a lot of water during the day and keep surroundings at a lower temperature.
“Keep your home cool, because a restful night’s sleep helps to cope better with the heat of the day,” DWD recommends.
Even the three heat waves of the summer were an “unusually high number and some of them long lasting,” according to DWD. Altogether, this year saw the warmest and sunniest June since the beginning of area-wide measurements.
The German heat record was set on 5 August 2015, and most likely won’t be broken this week, said Latif. “But we’ll be coming very close to it.”
What explains the heat?
The Arctic and sub-Arctic are warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to climate expert Latif
There are three reasons: First, the so-called climatic heat transport to the North Sea has become stronger. As a result, there is less ice that the sun can reflect, which also increases temperatures. “In addition, the amount of water vapour in the Arctic has increased,” said Latif.
The burden on the climate is also a consequence of the constantly growing number of people, he added. The world population has almost doubled in the last 50 years to 7.7 billion. [more]
‘This isn’t normal’: Germany braces for fourth heatwave of summer
