In June and July 2022, persistent heat waves affected parts of Central, Southern, and Western Europe, causing wildfires, evacuations and heat-related deaths. In June, temperatures of 40–43 °C (104–109 °F) were recorded in parts of Europe, with most severe temperature anomalies in France, where several records were broken. A second heat wave occurred in mid-July, extending north to the United Kingdom, where temperatures surpassing 40 °C (104 °F) were recorded there for the first time in history. Climatologists have attributed the intensity of the heat wave to climate change.
The highest temperature
recorded was 47.0 °C (116.6 °F) in Pinhão, Portugal, on 14 July.
Meteorology
The June heat wave was
the result of an interaction among the high pressures that generate atmospheric
stability, Tropical Storm Alex, the strong sunshine of the boreal summer
and an air mass emanating from North Africa that had
entered the Iberian Peninsula loaded with suspended dust that
caused haze in the center and south of the peninsula.
Climatologists linked
the extreme heat to the impact of climate change, and experts predict that changes in the jet stream as a result of
climate change will cause heat waves with increasing frequency in Europe.
See Also
- Heat waves of 2022
- Climate change in Europe
- 2003 European heat wave
- 2006 European heat wave
- 2018 European heat wave
- 2019 European heat waves
- 2022 Siberian wildfires
- 2021 Western North America
heat wave
- 2022 European and
Mediterranean wildfires
- List of weather records
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_European_heat_waves
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Jet Streams
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air
currents in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth. On Earth, the main jet streams are located
near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds (flowing
west to east). Jet streams may start, stop, split into two or more parts,
combine into one stream, or flow in various directions including opposite to
the direction of the remainder of the jet.
Overview
The strongest jet
streams are the polar jets, at 9–12 km (5.6–7.5 mi;
30,000–39,000 ft) above sea level, and the higher altitude and somewhat
weaker subtropical jets at 10–16 km (6.2–9.9 mi;
33,000–52,000 ft). The Northern Hemisphere and the Southern
Hemisphere each have a polar jet and a subtropical jet. The northern
hemisphere polar jet flows over the middle to northern latitudes of North
America, Europe, and Asia and their intervening oceans, while the
southern hemisphere polar jet mostly circles Antarctica, both all year
round.
Jet streams are the
product of two factors: the atmospheric heating
by solar radiation that produces the large-scale polar,
Ferrel, and Hadley circulation cells, and the action of the Coriolis
force acting on those moving masses. The Coriolis force is caused by the
planet's rotation on its axis. On other planets, internal heat rather
than solar heating drives their jet streams. The polar jet stream forms near
the interface of the polar and Ferrel circulation cells; the subtropical jet
forms near the boundary of the Ferrel and Hadley circulation cells.
Other jet streams also
exist. During the Northern Hemisphere summer, easterly jets can form in
tropical regions, typically where dry air encounters more humid air at high
altitudes. Low-level jets also are typical of various regions such as the
central United States. There are also jet streams in the thermosphere.
Meteorologists use the
location of some of the jet streams as an aid in weather forecasting. The
main commercial relevance of the jet streams is in air travel, as flight time
can be dramatically affected by either flying with the flow or against. Often,
airlines work to fly 'with' the jet stream to obtain significant fuel cost and
time savings . Dynamic North Atlantic Tracks are one example of how
airlines and air traffic control work together to accommodate the jet
stream and winds aloft that results in the maximum benefit for airlines and
other users. Clear-air turbulence, a potential hazard to aircraft
passenger safety, is often found in a jet stream's vicinity, but it does not
create a substantial alteration on flight times.
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