The warm winter breaks temperature records in Europe

Las high winter temperatures have broken records in some parts of Europe over the new year, prompting activists to call for faster action on climate change and offering a short-term reprieve for governments battling high gas prices.

Temperature records have been broken in hundreds of places in recent days, from Switzerland to Poland to Hungary, which recorded its warmest Christmas Eve in Budapest and saw temperatures rise to 18.9 degrees Celsius on January 1.

In France, where the night of December 30-31 was the warmest on record, temperatures soared to nearly 25C in the southwest on New Year’s Day, while normally bustling European ski resorts were deserted. for lack of snow.

Czech television reported that some trees were beginning to flower in private gardens, while the Swiss Office of Meteorology and Climatology issued a pollen warning for people allergic to early-flowering hazelnut plants.

The temperature reached 25.1ºC at Bilbao airport, in the Spanish Basque Country. People enjoyed the sun sitting in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao or strolling along the Nervión river.

“Here it always rains a lot, it’s very cold, we are in January and it seems like summer,” said Eusebio Folgeira, an 81-year-old from Bilbao.

French tourist Joana Host said: “It’s good weather for cycling, but we know it’s like the planet is on fire. So we’re enjoying it but at the same time we’re scared.”

Scientists have not yet analyzed the specific effects of climate change in recent high temperatures, but the January heat wave is part of the long-term trend of rising temperatures due to man-made climate change.

It follows another year of extreme weather events that scientists say are directly linked to global warming, such as deadly heatwaves in Europe and India and floods in Pakistan.

“Record warm temperatures in Europe over the New Year are most likely due to human-caused climate change, just as climate change is increasing the odds of heat waves with higher temperatures,” said Friederike Otto, a climatologist at Imperial College London.

Temperature spikes can also cause plants to start growing earlier, making them more vulnerable to frost.

Unusually warm temperatures have brought short-term relief to European governments, which have struggled to secure tight gas supplies and contain price escalation after Russia slashed gas deliveries to Europe.

The reference price of gas for the immediate month was trading on Wednesday morning at 70.25 euros per megawatt hour, its lowest level since February 2022, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.