Every year, Kiwis travel en masse to Europe in search of warmer weather during the cold New Zealand summer. In 2023, they got more than they bargained for . Alongside photos of travellers sipping Aperol Spritz’s in Italy or tanning on beaches in Majorca, we saw pictures of people upending water bottles onto red faces, wilting on sidewalks and crowding around fountains.
According to meteorologists, this year will be no different. In 2023, severe heat waves hit southern Europe, driving temperatures up to a sweltering 40C. Railway lines buckled, wildfires tore across cities and countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece were evacuated.
This wasn’t a one-off event either, Europe has been named the fastest-warming continent and of the 30 most intense heatwaves to hit the continent since the 1950s, 23 have occurred since 2000. More are expected to hit this summer according to experts at US-based climate intelligence firm, Atmospheric G2. “Our computer models are in good agreement that it’s going to be another unusually hot summer, especially during late July through August,” Vice President of Meteorology Todd Crawford told The New York Times.
Atmospheric G2 believed the summer could be similar to 2022, which was Europe’s hottest on record and mainly felt in southern countries such as Greece, Croatia and Italy. The damage and health risks caused by heatwaves in 2023 and 2022 were not confined to locals; many travellers had holidays ruined or cut short as a result. Blister.
