Europe endured its joint hottest year on RECORD in 2023

2023 was Europe's joint-hottest year on record - and it was largely thanks to climate change, experts say.

Europe's overall temperature last year was 1.8°F (1°C) above average, the EU's climate change programme has revealed – putting it on a par with 2020.

Worryingly, temperatures in the continent were higher than the average for 11 months of the year, including the warmest September on record. 1/1 Skip Ad Continue watchingafter the adVisit Advertiser websiteGO TO PAGE

2023 saw a record number of days with 'extreme heat stress', where the heat was so severe that it impacted human wellbeing, often fatally.

Experts warn that Europe is the 'fastest warming continent' in the world, where temperatures are rising at around twice the global average rate, causing wildfires, droughts and more extreme weather events. +13 View gallery

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Europe endured its joint hottest year on record last year. In this disturbing photo reflecting the state of the modern climate, people stand in front of a forest fire in New Peramos, near Athens, on July 19, 2023 +13 View gallery

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Europe's average temperature in 2023 was 1.8°F (1°C) above average, the EU's climate change programme has revealed - putting it on a par with 2020 Advertisement

Scientists at Copernicus Climate Service (C3S) have already confirmed that 2023 was the hottest year on record globally, but the new report is specific to Europe.

Globally, 2023 has already been dubbed the year Earth suffered the costliest climate disasters like droughts, floods, wildfires and lethal heatwaves, largely due to greenhouse gas emissions – but these occurred all over Europe.

'In 2023, Europe witnessed the largest wildfire ever recorded, one of the wettest years, severe marine heatwaves and widespread devastating flooding,' said Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S.

'Temperatures continue to increase, making our data ever more vital in preparing for the impacts of climate change.'

Celeste Saulo, secretary-general at the World Meteorological Organization, pointed the finger squarely at greenhouse gas emissions.

"The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our generation,' she said.

'The cost of climate action may seem high but the cost of inaction is much higher.

'As this report shows, we need to leverage science to provide solutions for the good of society.' +13 View gallery

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September last year saw a concerning amount of temperature anomalies, meaning temperatures were higher than usual for that time of year. This image shows average surface air temperature anomalies (°C) over Europe for June to September 2023, relative to the monthly average for the 1991–2020 reference period +13 View gallery

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Europe experienced widespread flooding and severe heatwaves last year. Here, a man cools down near a fountain at Piazza Castello during a heatwave in Turin, Italy, August 25, 2023 +13 View gallery

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Spain issued hot weather red alerts for three regions due to the 'extreme' danger posed by scorching temperatures in July 2023 +13 View gallery

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An aircraft drops water on a fire burning in the Gale de Cima area in the municipality of Aljezur, south of Portugal, August 9, 2023 +13 View gallery

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A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire burning at the industrial zone of the city of Volos, in central Greece, July 26, 2023 Advertisement

According to CS3's dataset – which captures hourly data on atmospheric, land and sea temperature metrics – 2023 and 2020 tied as Europe's warmest years.

In both years, Europe's average surface air temperature (how hot air is 6.5 feet from Earth's surface) was 1.8°F or 1°C higher than the 1991-2020 average.

And surface air temperature has got considerably higher in a short space of time, suggesting permanent long-term change.

The three warmest years on record for Europe have all occurred since 2020, while the 10 warmest have been since 2007.

Although the summer of 2023 was not Europe's warmest summer on record, experts said conditions during the season were often 'extreme'.

An 'extended summer' between June and September – where higher temperatures persist into autumn – saw heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and flooding.

Heat-related deaths have increased by around 30 per cent in the past 20 years and are estimated to have increased in 94 per cent of the European regions monitored, CS3 said. +13 View gallery

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2023 saw a record number of days with 'extreme heat stress'. There is an increasing trend in the number of days with at least 'strong heat stress' across Europe +13 View gallery

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A beach-goer pours water on his face to refresh himself on the Ricanto beach in Ajaccio, on the French island of Corsica, on July 19, 2023, as Europe is hit by a major heatwave +13 View gallery

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People bathe in the area of Lake Sirio to cool off, in the province of Turin, Italy, 16 July 2023, as Italy faced the third heatwave of the summer bringing record temperatures +13 View gallery

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In July, heatwave and wildfires scorched swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 children close to a Greek seaside resort. Pictured, is a man at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, on July 18, 2023 Advertisement

More than 5,000 people died in France alone due to the searing summer heat, according to a prior report from France's public health agency.

Although total European deaths due to heat last year are to be revealed, preliminary estimates suggest 63 lives were lost due to storms, 44 to floods and 44 to wildfires in Europe.

CS3 also revealed worrying results for sea surface temperature (SST) – how hot the water is at the ocean's surface.

For the year as a whole, the average sea surface temperature for the ocean across Europe was the highest on record.

In particular, the highest sea surface temperatures were off the west coast of Spain and Portugal, but also along the Mediterranean and also off the coast of Scotland and Ireland.

Researchers also said there was a below average number of days with snow in Europe last year, which is affecting the quality of skiing around the continent.

In the Alps, glaciers have lost around 10 per cent of their remaining volume over 2022 and 2023. +13 View gallery

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Parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean saw their highest annual average sea surface temperature on record last year +13 View gallery

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Low levels of snow cover pictured during a heatwave in the Mont-Blanc region in Chamonix, France, August 23, 2023

CS3 urges governments to make the transition to eco-friendly power sources that don't use fossil fuels, like wind and solar, away from the likes of coal and gas.

In fact, some renewable energy sources could even benefit from wild weather while avoiding carbon emissions.

For example, increased storm activity through October to December 2023 resulted in above-average potential for wind power production.

The Met Office has already revealed that 2023 was second warmest year on record for UK, after 2022.

A report at the end of last year by the National Trust said the UK's extreme weather caused chaos for nature around the country.

The year started off extremely dry, following on from 2022's parched summer, while parts of the South West and East Anglia remained in drought until September.

This was followed by the warmest June ever recorded in the UK and then a warmer and wetter autumn than normal.

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Europe endured its joint hottest year on RECORD in 2023

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