The usually cool Nordic countries are being hit by a heatwave „truly unprecedented” as scorching weather, intensified and prolonged by carbon pollution, continues to creep into northern Europe. Scientists have recorded here the longest period with temperatures above 30°C since 1961, when records began.
A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle has recorded temperatures above 30°C for 13 days in July, while Finland has experienced three consecutive weeks with temperatures of 30°C, reports The Guardian.
Scientists say this is the longest heatwave period recorded since 1961 and is 50% longer than the previous record.
"The unprecedented heatwave continues in force, with maximum temperatures around 32-33°C today," said Mika Rantanen, a climatologist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in a social media post on Thursday.
"Even the Arctic regions have experienced three weeks with temperatures above 25°C, and tomorrow could rival heat records from August," the climatologist added.
Heatwave in Lapland
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute stated that temperatures above 30°C were recorded in 12 days in July by at least one station in the three northernmost regions of the country. Although the country had a brief break last week when the warm weather shifted north and east, the institute stated that temperatures of 30°C are expected to be reached again over the weekend. "We are facing a few scorching days in northern Norway," they said.
In Sweden, meteorologists stated that persistent heatwaves were recorded at several stations in the northern part of the country, with a weather station in Haparanda recording 25°C or more for 14 consecutive days. In Jokkmokk, Lapland, the heatwave lasted for 15 days.
"To find a longer period at these stations, we have to go back more than a century," said Sverker Hellström, a researcher at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.
The torrid heat has engulfed northern Europe in mid-July, fueled by warm waters off the north coast of Norway and a persistent presence of high atmospheric pressure, pushing temperatures in the Nordic countries 8-10°C above seasonal norms. Subsequently, the region was hit by storms and lightning strikes that sparked wildfires.
Reindeer can't take it anymore
The scorching weather has caught people off guard in a part of the continent better adapted to cold.
Researchers say that countries like the UK, Norway, and Switzerland will face the greatest relative increase in the number of days with uncomfortable temperatures as the planet warms, and have warned that their infrastructure is not adequate to cope with this situation.
On Wednesday, an ice rink in northern Finland opened its doors to people seeking refuge from the heat after they overcrowded the local hospital's emergency room, according to Finnish media. On Thursday, herders warned that their reindeer were on the verge of dying due to the heat.
The Swedish public radio reported that foreign tourists heading north to Scandinavia for "cool vacations" instead faced warnings of dangerous heatwaves.
"As climate change progresses, exceptionally severe heatwaves will intensify," warned Heikki Tuomenvirta, a scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. "They occur more frequently, are more severe, and last longer," he said.