Another Great Heat Wave and Extreme Drought in Europe?

[Edena_of_Neith]

I put this here, in Political, because everyone has insisted on politicizing anything related to extremes of climate.
Also, the implications of such a drought as they are discussing, will quickly spill over into the political because it could affect world food prices, European food prices, and affect the popularity of governments and their policies.
It goes without saying that Global Warming will (inevitably) be brought into the debate, and that's been politicized to death.

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I am reading that, basically, what could be one of the single worst droughts in the recorded history of Western Europe is starting.
Even though it is only April, temperatures are approaching 80 degrees in England (which is unheard of), smog is very serious across London and other Western European Cities, rivers are already low or even drying up, and the green of spring is expected to fade away, leaving cattle and crops to die.

The drought is affecting Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxumbourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and possibly other countries.

It seems a completely unseasonable Horse Latitute High Pressure system (the kind that occasionally affects Europe in the summer, but not always even then) has placed itself over Western Europe in April (at a time when the prevailing Westerlies should predominate completely, and in fact still be in their southerly, winter position for the most part.)

We saw what happened in Russia and Finland last year.
Several years ago, we saw the Great Heat Wave that caused the Mattador to begin crumbling, and temperatures in Paris reached 110.
It seems possible another such heat wave and associated drought, could be on the way again. : (

[Brynja]

The Matterhorn or the Matt....what?

[Ergeheilalt]

:ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh:
:ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh:
:ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh::ahhh:
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[Edena_of_Neith]

It is the highest mountain in Switzerland, to my knowledge.

Ergeheilalt, what is your deal?

[Ergeheilalt]

Every day the world is ending. Every day. Everything is going to shit. Every day. There is no hope. Every day. It's the same story every day.

[Edena_of_Neith]

Every day the world is ending. Every day. Everything is going to shit. Every day. There is no hope. Every day. It's the same story every day.

I don't speak of a world ending event.
Just another possible heat wave and drought.

Europe has had several of these in the last 11 years, and they are noteworthy events.

In this event, unusual smog has been the early result, resulting in spectacular smog pictures of London, England, and the British down at the beach in swimwear in April (a most unusual sight, no?)

[Aloysius]

Europe's climate is not stable enough to predict the weather more than two weeks in advance. This is spring, it has been unusually warm (I was able to swim friday 04/08 as the sea reached 16°C and the air temperature broke a new record in April at 33°C in Montpellier), but we may as well experience a cold and rainy summer.
Overall, it's a sure fact that the climate is warming and that we will have more and more heatwaves. But there is no way to predict if there will be one this year.

[Edena_of_Neith]

Not really discussing Global Warming in this thread.
Just commentary, and maybe ongoing commentary, about the current warmth and drought in Western Europe.

[Megamieuwsel]

I'll start worrying about the draught when my water-butts show a dry bottom.
Untill then I plan to enjoy the weather in my backyard and laughing at the traffic-jams in the direction of the beach; they often start in my street, loaded with german tourists, sweating like pigs on their way on a six-kilometer crawl to being crammed on a patch of sand, that gets in their asscracks and are being made to pay ridiculous prices for watered-down beer-surrogates....

Yup!
Tourist-industry is doing great right now.

[Cat of Ulthar]

London, England is fine, thanks. Haven't noticed severe smog and the plantses aren't drying out (except for my one rosebush, but that was dying anyway. Don't know why). It's nice and warm for the time of year. :) If I hadn't lost the key to the shed, I would be putting up the paddling pool.

[Edena_of_Neith]

In Michigan, we always enjoyed the first sunny, 80 degree plus (Celsius: 26 degrees plus) days of the year.
In Michigan, we had normals of:

June: High of 80 (27), Low of 60 (16)
July: High of 84 (29), Low of 63 (17)
August: High of 83 (28), Low of 61 (16)

We had sufficient cloudiness, rainfall, and heavy downbursts from thunderstorms, that the ground was always moist.
Temperate trees, northern crops, and northern vegetation flourished from late April May through mid October (some hardy crops and plants came out as early as March, and lasted as late as December.)

In Southwest Florida, we have to have a lot of rain, in order for the ground to remain moist, in the face of Florida's furious sun, and the consistently high temperatures.
Rainfall levels that were adequate in Michigan, would lead to desert conditions here.
Fortunately, during the Wet Season in Southwest Florida, it rains every day, basically, and usually it rains cats and dogs (it rains so hard, you literally cannot see through it ... think of a Blizzard Whiteout ... or in this case a Rainout.)

Our summer?

April: 88 and 63. (Dry Season, or Fire Season as we would say)
May: 91 and 67. (Dry Season, height of Fire Season)
June: 92 and 75. (Hurricane Season begins, Wet Season begins)
July: 95 and 77. (What Floridians call the Wet Season begins)
August: 95 and 78. (Height of the Hurricane Season begins, hottest month)
September: 93 and 77. (Height of the Hurricane Season continues)
October: 88 and 72. (First cool fronts reach Southwest Florida mid month.)

Rainfall? Around 1 inch in April. 3 inches in May. 7 inches in June. 7 to 10 in July, August, and September. 5 inches in October.

If I lived in Great Britain, I would welcome London's warmth of yesterday's high of 81 and low of 50, with sunny skies (the normal is cloudy with a high of 58 and a low of 44.)
I would not welcome that smog, though.

[Cat of Ulthar]

If I lived in Great Britain, I would welcome London's warmth of yesterday's high of 81 and low of 50, with sunny skies (the normal is cloudy with a high of 58 and a low of 44.)
I would not welcome that smog, though.

We got smog? Ah yes, the internet says we got smog. That may be why I got a sore chest. :grey: Still, it's pleasant out there of an evening.

[Edena_of_Neith]

The smog I saw was over London.
If other cities had smog, it wasn't shown.

[Cat of Ulthar]

I live in London.:)

[Edena_of_Neith]

Ah, my pardons.
I did see some photographs of the smog. Sorry about the bad air quality. I hope it has improved (it should have ... fresh Atlantic air is usually blowing into Great Britain the year around.)

[Ancalagon]

I think it's too soon to panic. Should public officials and farmers take steps? Yes. But it probably will justt be another warmer/drier than normal summer, and not a catastrophe.

[Edena_of_Neith]

It's only April. There is no way to know. That's a given.

All anyone can do is observe, and take those reasonable precautions if they are farmers and public officials.

Ask the poor Texas farmers and ranchers, about the weather right now.
Farmers and ranchers have always been at the mercy of the weather.