Weather tracker: deadly May heatwave shatters records across Europe | Environment
Europe has experienced an extraordinary heatwave this week, with temperature records broken in many countries under an area of persistent high pressure, often referred to as a “heat dome”. The UK surpassed its maximum temperature record for May, with 35.1C recorded at London’s Kew Gardens on Tuesday.
This broke the record set just a day earlier, with 34.8C recorded in London on Monday. The previous record for maximum temperature in May was 32.8C, recorded in 1922 and then reached in 1944. Ireland also broke the maximum temperature for May, with 28.8C recorded at two weather stations, Killarney in the south-west and Clonmel in the south.
Maximum temperatures have not only been broken; Nighttime minimums also reached record levels. On Tuesday night the temperature in Camborne, south-west England, dropped to just 21.4 degrees; this marked another tropical night with temperatures staying above 20 degrees.
Similarly, temperatures across France reached 36°C on Monday and Tuesday, making them the hottest May days in history. A French government spokesman said the heat was directly or indirectly responsible for seven deaths this week.
In some parts of Europe these temperatures are 10-15C above average for this time of year. Temperatures will remain 5-10C above average for the rest of this week, but will begin to gradually moderate in the UK by next week.
Severe storm warnings were in effect for south-eastern and eastern Australia this week, and warnings continued until Friday. In the warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), it was stated that damaging winds, heavy rains and hail were expected, and flash flood warnings were also available. Dayboro in Queensland has already recorded gusts of 50mm in a 30-minute period, while Narrabi in New South Wales recorded wind gusts of 65 mph (104 km/h) on Wednesday.
The BoM said six-hour rainfall totals could reach 40-70mm, locally approaching 100mm for the Mid North Coast, Upper Hunter and neighboring parts of New South Wales by the end of the week.
