BERLIN—Europeans, particularly in the south of the continent, are being subjected to more heat stress during the summer months as climate change causes longer periods of extreme weather, a study published Thursday shows.
“Southern Europe experienced a record number of days with ‘very strong heat stress,’” defined as temperatures from 38 to 46 degrees Celsius , it said. The warning was part of the annual Copernicus European State of the Climate report, which confirmed that the continent experienced its second warmest year on record in 2022. Last summer was the hottest on record across Europe at 1.4 Celsius above the reference period of 1991-2020. The Svalbard region in the Arctic even saw summer temperatures that were 2.5 Celsius higher than the average, it said.