Summary
Recent analyses have identified summer warming trends in Europe in recent decades, culminating in 2003, when mean summer temperatures were exceptionally hot over much of Europe. Mean monthly temperatures were very high in July 2003 and reached record levels in both June and August. In 2006, the mean monthly temperature for July reached a record high. Our analysis of temperature observations shows that in July 2006, as in summer 2003, maximum temperatures were more abnormal than minimum values. The 2006 heatwave was located more to the north than in 2003, and particularly affected the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, France and Switzerland. The July 2006 anomalies were similar in magnitude to those of June and August 2003, but the discrepancy between minimum and maximum temperature anomalies was larger in 2006 compared to both June and August 2003. For maximum temperature, the affected land area by anomalies higher than 4–6 K was largest in July 2006, although the anomalies were higher in June and August 2003 at the most anomalous sites. In the north of Europe, the absolute monthly temperature values were higher in July 2006 compared to both June (also on the Iberian Peninsula) and August 2003.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barnett J (2001) Security and Climate Change. Working paper no. 7. Report No. 7, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
JL Bell LC Sloan MA Snyder (2004) ArticleTitleRegional changes in extreme climatic events: a future climate scenario J Climate 17 81–87 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<0081:RCIECE>2.0.CO;2
E Black M Blackburn G Harrison B Hoskins J Methven (2004) ArticleTitleFactors contributing to the summer 2003 European heatwave Weather 59 217–223 Occurrence Handle10.1256/wea.74.04
US De M Khole MM Dandekar (2004) ArticleTitleNatural hazards associated with meteorological extreme events Nat Hazards 31 487–497 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:NHAZ.0000023363.93647.c7
PM Della-Marta MR Haylock J Luterbacher H Wanner (2007a) ArticleTitleDoubled length of western European summer heat waves since 1880 J Geophys Res Atmosph 112 D15103 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2007JD008510
PM Della-Marta J Luterbacher H von Weissenfluh E Xoplaki M Brunet H Wanner (2007b) ArticleTitleSummer heat waves over western Europe 1880–2003, their relationship to large-scale forcings and predictability Clim Dynam 29 251–275 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00382-007-0233-1
DR Easterling JL Evans PY Groisman TR Karl KE Kunkel P Ambenje (2000a) ArticleTitleObserved variability and trends in extreme climate events: a brief review Bull Amer Meteor Soc 81 417–425 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0477(2000)081<0417:OVATIE>2.3.CO;2
DR Easterling TR Karl KP Gallo DA Robinson KE Trenberth A Dai (2000b) ArticleTitleObserved climate variability and change of relevance to the biosphere J Geophys Res-Atmosph 105 20101–20114 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000JD900166
DR Easterling GA Meehl C Parmesan SA Changnon TR Karl LO Mearns (2000c) ArticleTitleClimate extremes: observations, modeling, and impacts Science 289 2068–2074 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.289.5487.2068
A Fink T Brucher A Kruger GC Leckebusch JG Pinto U Ulbrich (2004) ArticleTitleThe 2003 European summer heatwaves and drought – synoptic diagnosis and impacts Weather 59 2009–2216 Occurrence Handle10.1256/wea.73.04
EM Fischer SI Seneviratne D Luthi C Schaer (2007) ArticleTitleContribution of land-atmosphere coupling to recent European summer heat waves Geophys Res Lett 34 L06707 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2006GL029068
A Haines JA Patz (2004) ArticleTitleHealth effects of climate change J Am Med Assoc 291 99–103 Occurrence Handle10.1001/jama.291.1.99
InstitutionalAuthorNameIPCC (2001) Climate change 2001 SeriesTitleThe Scientific Basis IPCC Cambridge
InstitutionalAuthorNameIPCC (2002) Climate change 2001: Mitigation NumberInSeries3 Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK
InstitutionalAuthorNameIPCC (2007) Climate change 2007 SeriesTitleThe Scientific Basis IPCC Cambridge
RS Kovats A Haines (2005) ArticleTitleGlobal climate change and health: recent findings and future steps Can Med Assoc J 172 501–502 Occurrence Handle10.1503/cmaj.050020
KE Kunkel RA Pielke SA Changnon (1999) ArticleTitleTemporal fluctuations in weather and climate extremes that cause economic and human health impacts: a review Bull Amer Meteor Soc 80 1077–1098 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0477(1999)080<1077:TFIWAC>2.0.CO;2
J Luterbacher D Dietrich E Xoplaki M Grosjean H Wanner (2004) ArticleTitleEuropean seasonal and annual temperature variability, trends, and extremes since 1500 Science 303 1499–1503 Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.1093877
A McMichael R Woodruff (2004) ArticleTitleClimate change and risk to health Br Med J 329 1416–1417 Occurrence Handle10.1136/bmj.329.7480.1416
McMichel AJ, Haines A, Slooff R, Kovats S (2004) Climate change and human health. WHO, WMO, UNEP, Washington
GA Meehl T Karl DR Easterling S Changnon R Pielke D Changnon J Evans PY Groisman TR Knutson KE Kunkel LO Mearns C Parmesan R Pulwarty T Root RT Sylves P Whetton F Zwiers (2000) ArticleTitleAn introduction to trends in extreme weather and climate events: observations, socioeconomic impacts, terrestrial ecological impacts, and model projections Bull Amer Meteor Soc 81 413–416 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0477(2000)081<0413:AITTIE>2.3.CO;2
B Menne R Bertollini S Kovats E Lindgren M Daniel B Kriz K Ebi S Hajat S Edwars A Haines A Alberini A Chiabai M van Lieshout P Martens G Jendritzky C Koppe R Klein M Fuessal (2003) ArticleTitleEuropean climate change health impact and adaptation assessment Epidemiology 14 S116–S116 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00001648-200309001-00282
RJ Murnane (2004) ArticleTitleClimate research and reinsurance Bull Amer Meteor Soc 85 697–707 Occurrence Handle10.1175/BAMS-85-5-697
C Parmesan TL Root MR Willig (2000) ArticleTitleImpacts of extreme weather and climate on terrestrial biota Bull Amer Meteor Soc 81 443–450 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0477(2000)081<0443:IOEWAC>2.3.CO;2
M Rebetez (2004) ArticleTitleSummer 2003 maximum and minimum daily temperatures over a 3300 m altitudinal range in the Alps Climate Res 27 45–50 Occurrence Handle10.3354/cr027045
M Rebetez H Mayer O Dupont D Schindler K Gartner J Kropp A Menzel (2006) ArticleTitleHeat and drought 2003 in Europe: a climate synthesis Ann For Sc 63 569–577 Occurrence Handle10.1051/forest:2006043
C Schaer PL Vidale D Luthi C Frei C Haberli MA Liniger C Appenzeller (2004) ArticleTitleThe role of increasing temperature variability in European summer heatwaves Nature 427 332–336 Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature02300
R Schnur (2002) ArticleTitleClimate science: the investment forecast Nature 415 483–484 Occurrence Handle10.1038/415483a
CD Schönwiese T Staeger S Tromel (2004) ArticleTitleThe hot summer 2003 in Germany. Some preliminary results of a statistical time series analysis Meteorologische Zeitschrift 13 323–327 Occurrence Handle10.1127/0941-2948/2004/0013-0323
SI Seneviratne D Luthi M Litschi C Schaer (2006) ArticleTitleLand-atmosphere coupling and climate change in Europe Nature 443 205–209 Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature05095
KE Smoyer (1998) ArticleTitleA comparative analysis of heat waves and associated mortality in St. Louis, Missouri – 1980 and 1995 Int J Biometeorol 42 44–50 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004840050082
J Sparks D Changnon J Starke (2002) ArticleTitleChanges in the frequency of extreme warm-season surface dewpoints in northeastern Illinois: implications for cooling-system design and operation J Appl Meteor 41 890–898 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0450(2002)041<0890:CITFOE>2.0.CO;2
J Stephenson (2004) ArticleTitleClimate change and health J Am Med Assoc 291 291–291 Occurrence Handle10.1001/jama.291.3.291-a
PA Stott DA Stone MR Allen (2004) ArticleTitleHuman contribution to the European heatwave of 2003 Nature 432 610–614 Occurrence Handle10.1038/nature03089
RM Trigo R Garcia-Herrera J Diaz IF Trigo MA Valente (2005) ArticleTitleHow exceptional was the early August 2003 heatwave in France? Geophys Res Lett 32 L10701 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2005GL022410
L Vescovi M Rebetez F Rong (2005) ArticleTitleAssessing public health risk due to extremely high temperature events: climate and social parameters Climate Res 30 71–78 Occurrence Handle10.3354/cr030071
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Correspondence: Martine Rebetez, WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, CP 96, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rebetez, M., Dupont, O. & Giroud, M. An analysis of the July 2006 heatwave extent in Europe compared to the record year of 2003. Theor Appl Climatol 95, 1–7 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0370-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-007-0370-9