Cold Nordic countries are being seared by “truly unprecedented” heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe.
A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat.
Scientists say it is the longest streak in records going back to 1961, and 50% longer than the previous record.
“Truly unprecedented heatwave still in full swing with maximum today about 32-33C,” said Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in a social media post on Thursday. “Even the Arctic regions … have seen three weeks above 25C, and may rival tomorrow their August heat records.”
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said temperatures above 30C were recorded on 12 days in July by at least one station in its three northernmost counties. Although the country had a brief respite last week as hot weather moved north and east, the institute said it expected temperatures of 30C might be reached again over the weekend.
“We have some hot days ahead of us in northern Norway,” it said.
In Sweden, meteorologists said long-term heatwaves were noted at several stations in the north of the country, with a weather station in Haparanda measuring 25C or more for 14 days in a row. In Jokkmokk, Lappland, the heatwave lasted for 15 days.
“To find a longer period at these stations, you have to go back more than a century,” said Sverker Hellström, a scientist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.
Blistering heat swept northern Europe in mid-July, driven by hot waters off the Norwegian northern coast and a stubborn area of high pressure that brought temperatures in the Nordics 8-10C above seasonal norms. The region has also since been hit by storms and lightning strikes that have sparked wildfires.
The hot weather has taken people by surprise in a part of the continent better adapted to the cold. Researchers have found that countries such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland will face the greatest relative rise in uncomfortably hot days as the planet heats up, and have warned that their infrastructure is not well-suited to cope.
On Wednesday, an ice rink in northern Finland opened its doors to people seeking refuge from the heat after they overfilled the local hospital’s emergency room, according to Finnish media. On Thursday, herders warned that their reindeer were on the verge of dying in the heat.
Swedish radio reported that foreign tourists heading north to Scandinavia for “coolcations” had instead encountered dangerous heat warnings.
“As climate change progresses, exceptionally severe heatwaves will intensify,” said Heikki Tuomenvirta, a scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. “They are occurring more frequently, are more severe and last longer.”