As Germany and Spain sweated and London sweltered through its hottest July day on record in the first week of this month, scientists said it is "virtually certain" that climate change is increasing the likelihood of such heat waves in Europe.
In real-time data analysis released on July 3, a team of international climate scientists from universities, meteorological services and research organizations said the kind of heat waves hitting Europe in early July — defined as three-day periods of excessive heat — are becoming much more frequent in the region.
In Mannheim, Germany, for example, a heat wave like that of the first week of July would have been a once-in-a-century event in the 1900s, according to the scientists. But it is now likely to happen about every 15 years, they said.