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There’s not much snow in the Brauneck ski area in Lenggries,Germany. Unseasonably warm weather in much of Europe means grass is showing in alpine regions.Credit:dpa

The extreme warm spell followed arecord-warm year in many parts of Europe and provided yet another example of how human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extraordinary weather events.

On New Year’s Day,at least seven countries had their warmest January weather on record as temperatures surged to springtime levels:Latvia hit 11.1,Denmark 12.6,Lithuania 14.6,Belarus 16.4,the Netherlands 16.9,Poland 19.0 and the Czech Republic 19.6.

Those who track worldwide weather records described the warm spell as historic and could hardly believe its scope and magnitude.

Maximiliano Herrera,a climatologist who tracks global weather extremes,called the event “totally insane” and “absolute madness” in text messages to the Capital Weather Gang. He wrote that some high night temperatures observed were uncommon even in mid-summer.

Skiers coast down artificial snow at 1600 metres above sea level in Villars-sur-Ollon,Switzerland,on New Year’s Eve.Credit:Keystone/AP

It’s “the most extreme event ever seen in European climatology,” Herrera wrote. “Nothing stands close to this.”

Guillaume Séchet,a broadcast meteorologist in France,agreed,tweeting that Sunday was one of the most incredible days in Europe’s climate history.

“The intensity and extent of warmth in Europe right now is hard to comprehend,” tweeted Scott Duncan,a meteorologist based in London.

In Poland,it was so warm that the January national high-temperature record was broken before sunrise. The town of Glucholazy was 18.7 degrees at 4am,which is warmer than its average low temperature in mid-summer. Temperatures rose further as the day progressed.

Bilbao,Spain,reached 25.1 degrees,its hottest January day,while Trois-Villes,France,reached 24.9 degrees,a record for the month. It was among more than 100 records set across the country on Sunday,including 24 degrees in Dax,and 18.6 degrees at stations with data dating to the 1800s in Besançon and Châteauroux.

Ohlsbach,Germany,reached 19.4 degrees for a monthly record and the highest temperature of the day. Other locations,including Berlin at 16 degrees,set January records. Berlin was among the places that set records both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Warsaw’s high of 19 demolished the previous January record by 5.1 degrees.

Monday marked the third day of widespread high temperatures previously unheard of in midwinter. Many more monthly and daily records were set in the eastern half of Europe,particularly in Germany,Hungary,Romania and Russia.

This exceptional warmth comes on the heels of the warmest 2022 in many parts of Europe,including in the UK,Germany and Switzerland.

Extreme heat visited Europe in waves throughout the year and was intensified by a historically severe summer drought,helping to push the UK to 40 degrees for the first time on record in July.

Although the warmth is slowly easing as Arctic air creeps in from the north-east,above-normal temperatures are forecast for much of mainland Europe until January 10. After that,the forecast is a little less clear,but a cooler pattern could emerge by mid-month.

The Washington Post

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