U.S. Summer heat wave packs bag and heads to Europe for holiday UPDATED 8/20

U.S. Summer heat wave packs bag and heads to Europe for holiday: UPDATED 8/20: A new national all-time heat record has been broken for the Czech Republic today (August 20)

After touring the U.S. for two months (since mid-June) the great heat waves of the summer of 2012 have apparently decamped for Europe after a recent visit to the interior of the U.S. Southwest. Record-breaking heat is now forecast to impact the Iberian Peninsula and other portions of Western Europe in the coming week. In fact, a short but very intense heat wave has already afflicted portions of the continent earlier this month.UPDATE for August 20th at end of article.

European Heat Wave of August 6-11

A brief period of intense heat, caused by a southwesterly flow of air from the Sahara Desert, baked a swath of Europe from Spain to the Ukraine on August 6-11.

SPAIN (AUGUST 10-11)

The Madrid Royal Observatory in Retiro Park recorded its hottest temperature on record with a 40.6°C (105.1°F) reading on August 10th. Records here go back to 1860 (the Madrid Airport location has measured hotter temperatures before with 42.2°C/108°F in August 2003). Elsewhere in Spain all-time records on August 10 and 11 were achieved at:

Cordoba with 46.3°C/115.3°F (downtown location)

Alcoi with 44.1°C/111.4°F

Toledo with 43.1°C/109.6°F

Vitoria (Basque region) with 42.4°C/108.3°F

Pamplona with 41.4°C/106.5°F

Salamanca with 40.9°C/105.6°F

The hottest location of all in Spain was Mengibar, Jaen Province with 47.1°C (116.8°F), a location about 55 miles east of Cordoba). This was just 0.1°C (about 0.2°F) short of the possible Spanish national record of 47.2°C (117.0°F) set at Murcia on July 4, 1994. However, the Spanish heat record is open to debate. A possibly reliable figure of 50°C/122°F was reported from Berja on July 18, 1978. Many sources also claim that Seville also reached 50°C/122° on August 4, 1881. During the recent event Seville recorded 45.9°C/114.6°F.



A NCEP map of temperatures at the 2 meter (6 feet) above surface elevation in degrees Fahrenheit for August 11 during the peak of the heat wave in Spain. Map from WeatherBELL models.

ITALY (AUGUST 6-7)

Rome’s Ciampino Airport reached 39.4°C (102.9°F) on August 7th, short of the Rome record of 40.6°C (105.1°F) set in August 1956 and August 1981. Libertinia was the country’s hot spot with 45.4°C (113.7°F) on August 6th (and well short of the Italian national record of 48.5°C (119.3°F) set at Catenanuova, Sicily on August 10, 1999.

UKRAINE (AUGUST 7)

Kiev hit 37.6°C (99.7°F), short of their all-time record of 39.4°C (102.9°F). The highest reading observed in the country was 40.4°C (104.7°F) at Mohyliv-Podil’s Kyi. The Ukrainian national record of 42.0°C (107.6°F) at Lukhansk on August 12, 2010 still stands.

Other national maximum temperatures include the following:

BULGARIA (AUGUST 7)

43.5°C (110.3°F) at Rousse on August 7. National record is 45.2°C (113.4°F) at Sadovo on August 5, 1916.


ROMANIA (AUGUST 7)

42.5°C (108.5°F) at Bacau on August 7. National record is 44.5°C (112.1°F) at Ion Sion on August 10, 1951.


MONTENEGRO (AUGUST 7)

42.8°C (109.0°F) at Podgorica on August 7th. National record is 44.8°C (112.6°F) at Podorica on August 24, 2007.


MOLDOVA (AUGUST 7)

39.2°C (102.6°F) at Kisinev on August 7. National record is 42.0°C (107.6°F) at Slobozia on July 21, 2007.


ALBANIA (AUGUST 8)

42.0°C (107.6°F) at Gjirokastra on August 8. National record is 43.9°C (111.0°F) at Kucove on July 18, 1973.


BOSNIA (AUGUST 7)

41.8°C (107.2°F) at Mostar on August 7. National record is 43.1°C (109.6°F) at Mostar on August 24, 2007.


CROATIA (AUGUST 7)

40.8°C (105.4°F) at Gradiste on August 7. National record is 42.8°C (109.0°F) at Ploce on August 5, 1981.


POLAND (AUGUST 6-7)

36.7°C (98.1°F) at Zamosc on August 6 and 7 was an all-time record for this site. National record is 40.2°C (104.4°F) at Proszkow on July 29, 1921. Warsaw reached 34.6°C (94.3°F) on August 6, short of their all-time record of 36.4°C (97.5°F).


Heat Returns to Western Europe: August 17-?



Forecast model for 850 hPa temperatures valid or Sunday August 19th.

Another surge of excessively warm air has begun to impact much of southern and Western Europe as I write this. On Friday, August 17th, temperatures in Spain topped out at 43.1°C (109.6°F) at Arroyo del Ojanco, Jaen Province and Madrid (Airport location) reached 38.6°C (101.5°F). Madrid again topped 100°F on Saturday, August 18th with a 38.2°C (100.6°F) reading.



The beaches of Spain and France are overwhelmed with people seeking relief from the intense heat. Still from IBT news video.

The core of the heat now seems to be settling over France where Paris (Orly Airport) topped 100°F on August 18th (38.2°C/100.8°F). This has been the city’s hottest day since the heat wave of 2003 when a reading of 102°F was recorded (the all-time record for Paris is 40.4°C/104.7°F set in 1949). The warmest temperature reported in France on August 18th was 42.3°C (108.1°F) at Montgivray. The official national all-time heat record for France appears to be 42.7°C (108.9°F) at Le Luc-en-Provence on July 7, 1982, however temperatures as high as 44.1°C (111.4°F) were recorded during the great 2003 heat wave on August 12th at St. Christol les Ales.

In Belgium it was 36.5°C (97.7°F) at Kleine Brogel, 35.5°C (95.9°F) at Antwerp (just short of their all-time record of 36.1°C/97.0°F), and 34.5°C (94.1°F) in Brussels. Belgium’s all-time national heat record is 38.8°C (101.8°F) set at Uccle on June 27, 1947.

UPDATE: Sunday, August 19th, did not produce quite as extreme temperatures as Saturday although the heat was worse in some locations, especially in the higher altitudes of the Alps such as at the famous ski resort of Chamonix, France where an all-time record of 34.4°C (94.3°F) was achieved. Madrid failed to reach 100°F (38°C) on Sunday but it endured its hottest minimum temp on record when the low was just 25.8°C (78.4°F). In Andorra a temperature of 37.9°C (100.2°F) was recorded at Roc St. Pere, just 0.6°C short of the Andorran national record of 38.5°C (101.3°F) measured at Andorra La Vella on July 16, 2005. On Monday, August 20, the core of the heat seems to be over Germany (where temperatures up to 39°C/102°F have occurred) and the Czech Republic (where Prague has smashed its all-time record with 39.6°C/103.3°F today--old record was 37.8°C/100.0°F). Both countries (and others) are setting many all-time heat records. I will do an update on August 21st (Tuesday) to review these records.

BREAKING NEWS: A new national all-time heat record has been broken for the Czech Republic today (August 20) with a reading of 40.4°C (104.7°F) at Dobrichovice. This just edges out the former record of 40.2°C (104.4°F) from Uhrineves set on July 27, 1983.

KUDOS: Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for much of the temperature data reported above.

Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian