 Sea surface temperatures on 24 July | |
| Type | Heat wave |
|---|---|
| Areas | |
| Start date | June 2023 |
| End date | September 2023 |
In 2023, Europe had been affected by heat waves. The most significant of which was the named heat wave, Cerberus Heatwave, which brought the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe. Starting on 10 July 2023, the record-breaking Cerberus anticyclone affected many European countries, with the effects felt most severely in parts of Southeast and Southwest Europe such as Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Spain. The private Italian weather website iLMeteo named the extreme weather event after the hound of Hades from Greek mythology, and although some reports link the naming to the Italian Meteorological Society, the society's president said that they "absolutely don't use it".[1]
Several regional temperature records were broken, and the heatwave prompted health warnings and government action in several countries.
According to the British Met Office, 2023 was expected to have more intense heatwaves than those experienced in 2022.[2] In June, the European Environment Agency warned that schools and hospitals were at risk of high temperatures.[3]
- ^ Baraniuk, Chris (8 August 2023). "Why Is Europe's Latest Heat Wave Called Cerberus? It's Complicated". Wired.
- ^ "Extreme weather is changing the face of tourism in Europe". EuroNews. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Europe's city schools, hospitals at risk from extreme heat, EU agency says". Yahoo News. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.