Mediterranean too warm

Measurement record: hot summers could become the new norm

Many Greeks have also lost their belongings in the flames this summer.

(Bild: AFP/Angelos TZORTZINIS)

According to an analysis, the likelihood of a heatwave like the current one in the Mediterranean has risen sharply as a result of the climate crisis. The current temperatures, particularly in Greece, have become up to five times more likely.

Greece is experiencing the warmest July since records began, with 14 consecutive days above 40 degrees, according to the US non-profit organization Climate Central.

Even now, in mid-August, it is likely to be three to six degrees too warm for days on end - just like in Italy, France and Albania. In Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary and Austria, even six to ten degrees too much is expected.

Mediterranean is much too warm
According to the German Weather Service, temperatures on Wednesday were above 30 degrees Celsius in almost the entire Mediterranean region. It should remain this hot in the coming days, with temperatures of up to 38 degrees in Athens and a high risk of forest fires. A major fire raged there for several days.

Since measurements began in 1982, the water temperature in the Mediterranean has never been as high as it is now:

"We know that weather conditions with a high risk of forest fires are directly linked to climate change," explained Andrew Pershing, lead author of the analysis. This is because climate change leads to long periods of drought and heat, which increases the risk of fires.

"We need to leave coal, oil and gas in the ground," Pershing emphasized. "Otherwise, such fiery summers with extreme temperatures will become the new norm in the Mediterranean. Not just in Greece, but in the whole region."