WMO - Press Briefing: Early heatwaves and above…

"Early and intense heat wave has hit parts of Europe this week, it spread up From North Africa, through Spain, Portugal, hitting France today and then it will peak in Switzerland, Germany over the weekend....Some parts of Spain and France temperatures are more than ten degrees higher, so ten degrees higher, that is huge than the average for this time of year, and And this is combined with drought in many parts of Europe, Spain, Portugal and parts of Hungary, I think Serbia. It is not just Europe, mid-week, Nearly one third of the American population was under some form of heat advisory...As we know the ongoing episodes follow a very intense and prolonged heat in India and Pakistan. As a result of climate change, we have said it before, no doubt we will say it again, as a result of climate change, Heat waves are starting earlier, they are becoming more frequent and more severe because of concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which are at record level. What we are witnessing today is unfortunate the foretaste of the future..."