The average temperature in Europe from September to November this year is the highest on record, according to new data.
During that time period in Europe, it was 1.9° above the 1981 to 2010 norm and 0.4° higher than the average temperature for 2006, which was the previous warmest autumn.
Last month alone was the joint-second warmest November on record for Europe, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Norway had its joint warmest November in a data series reaching back to 1900. Sweden and Finland also saw records broken. Conditions were close to or a little cooler than average only in parts of the south-east of the continent.
Globally, last month was the warmest November on record “by a clear margin”.
Temperatures were most above the 1981 to 2010 average over a large region covering much of northern Europe, Siberia and the Arctic Ocean, while temperatures were most below average over central Asia and West Antarctica.
Heatwaves were experienced in parts of Australia during November 2020 and the month was the warmest November on record for the country as a whole.
Heatwaves were also reported in Malawi and Mozambique, and it was generally warmer than average over much of southern, central and western Africa.
Weather in 2020 ‘indicates further evidence of climate change’ – Met Éireann
Ireland’s weather in 2020 “indicates further evidence of climate change”, according to Met Éireann.
Last week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published its ‘Provisional Statement on the State of the Global Climate’ in 2020.
It stated that 2020 is on course to be one of the three warmest years on record worldwide. 2011 to 2020 will be the warmest decade on record.
Met Éireann senior climatologist Keith Lambkin said: “As the WMO publishes its ‘Provisional Statement on the State of the Global Climate 2020’, it’s an opportunity to reflect on how 2020 compares to Ireland’s normal climate.
“Extreme weather experienced in Ireland in 2020 is likely to become more common into the future.
“Our analysis shows a wetter winter and drier spring than we have been used to. This pattern is in line with predicted climate change-related trends for Ireland.
We saw the impact of such weather on our daily lives this year with the high level of flooding in February, particularly in the Shannon catchment.
“At the other end of the spectrum, a national hose-pipe ban was introduced after parts of the east had its driest spring on record. A number of significant storms during 2020, including Brendan and Ellen, caused the loss of electricity, affecting people and businesses throughout the country.”