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Tuesday, July 30 2019, 14:30 CEST



Heat wave
West and Central Europe,
July 23-27, 2019


Observed 2 m temperature
past 6 hours, July 25, 18 UTC
Image Source: ECMWF

As at the end of June, there was also a heat wave in Central Europe in July. Numerous new records were set. The all-time record from 2015 was also broken twice. The new all-time record was set on 25.07.2019 in Lingen with 42.6 °C.




Weather Situation

As already at the end of June 2019, a new heat wave rolled towards Western and Central Europe in July. Under the increasing high-pressure influence of High YVONNE (core pressure 1020 hPa), which moved from west to central Europe and built up a strong back over central Europe, increasingly hot air from southern Europe and Africa reached central Europe on the west flank of YVONNE. Due to the strong back, low pressure areas had no chance to replace the high pressure influence over Central Europe. Low pressure areas were led around the back and did not reach Central Europe. This meant that the heat had a strong influence on Central Europe for one week. Only toward the end of the week the back pulled further toward northeast and weakened. Then low pressure areas again had the chance to move to Central Europe. This caused heavy thunderstorms in Western and Central Europe on Friday and Saturday (see extra analysis).

Sea level pressure and fronts, 500 hPa Geopot, July 23-27, 2019: FU Berlin and Wetter3


On the satellite pictures you can see very well the cloudless area over Western and Central Europe, which is in connection with the back and the high pressure influence in this area. No clouds can form due to the sinking in this area. This means that the sun can shine all day long.

Satellite images, July 23-27, 2019 Woksat


850 hPa temperature, July 23-27, 2019: Wetter3


The 850 hPa temperature increased strongly in these days, because as already mentioned warm air from the southern regions was transported to Central Europe. Over northern France and the Benelux countries as well as parts of western Germany the 850 hPa temperature reached a value of over 25 °C on 25.07 at 18 UTC. As the atmosphere was well mixed, temperatures above 40 °C could be measured on the ground at a height of 2 m. The 850 hPa temperature was also above the usual values throughout Western and Central Europe. This resulted in a temperature anomaly at a height of 2 m in some places of more than 10 °C (deviation of the temperature from the mean). This is very unusual. Due to the extraordinary heat wave, numerous temperature records could be broken at national and international locations. In Germany an old all-time record was broken twice, which pulverized the old record. More details can be found below

2 m temperature anomaly, July 22-28, 2019: ECMWF


Records

Due to the long-lasting and extraordinary heat, the all-time temperature record of 2015 (40.3 °C in Kitzingen) was broken twice. First a new record was set on 24.07 (40.5 °C in Geilenkirchen). But only one day later (25.07) this record was broken again, by 2.1 °C. This deviation from the old record is already enormous. The new all-time record was set in Lingen/Ems with a temperature of 42.6 °C. This value has already been confirmed by the German Weather Service (DWD). Therefore the 42 °C - mark could be exceeded for the first time in Germany.
Numerous new decades and monthly records were also set at other locations (see table).

New national records were also set in Germany's western neighbors. In the Netherlands, a new temperature record of 42.7 °C was set in Deelen. A new record was also set in Belgium with 41.8 °C in Begijnendijk. Temperature records were broken in Luxembourg (Steinsel, 40.8 °C), England (Cambridge Botanical Garden, 38.7 °C) and France (Paris, 42.6 °C).
24 hours maximum temperatures in Germany (left) and in southern and France/Belgium (right):

Location Temperature in °C Date
Lingen
Waghäusel-Kirrlach
Trier-Petrisberg
Mannheim
Rheinau-Meprechtshofen

Geilenkirchen
Saarbrücken-Burbach
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
Nörvenich
Tönisvorst

Lingen
Dusiburg-Baerl
Tönisvorst
Köln-Stammheim
Kleve
Bonn-Roleber
Düsseldorf
Trier-Petriesberg
Weilerswist-Lommersum
Waltrop-Abdinghof

Tönisvorst
Köln-Stammheim
Wuppertal-Buchenhofen
Köln-Bonn
Weilerswist-Lommersum

35.8
35.7
35.7
35.6
35.5

40.5
40.0
39.9
39.7
39.7

42.6 (New all-time record)
41.2
41.2
41.1
40.9
40.9
40.7
40.6
40.6
40.5

40.4
39.8
39.7
39.6
39.6

23.07.19
23.07.19
23.07.19
23.07.19
23.07.19

24.07.19
24.07.19
24.07.19
24.07.19
24.07.19

25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19
25.07.19

26.07.19
26.07.19
26.07.19
26.07.19
26.07.19

Location Temperature in °C Date
Brive-Laroche (FR)
Bordeaux (FR)
Châteauroux (FR)
Angers-Marcé (FR)
Vicky (FR)
Brive-Laroche (FR)
Saint-Dizier (FR)
Troyes (FR)
Paris-Montsouris (FR)
Le Bourget (FR)
Romorantin (FR)
Melun (FR)

Schaffen (BE)
Diepenbeek (BE)
Retie (BE)
Dourbes (BE)
Beitem (BE)
Kleine Brogel (BE)
Schaffen (BE)
Antwerpen/Deurne (BE)
Kleine Brogel (BE)
Diepenbeek (BE)
Retie (BE)
Schaffen (BE)
42.1
41.2
41.2
41.1
41.3
41.3
40.6
40.4
42.6
42.1
42.0
41.9

39.4
39.3
38.5
38.3
40.7
40.6
40.4
40.4
38.4
37.1
36.6
35.6
23.07.2019
23.07.2019
23.07.2019
23.07.2019
24.07.2019
24.07.2019
24.07.2019
24.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019

24.07.2019
24.07.2019
24.07.2019
24.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019
25.07.2019
26.07.2019
26.07.2019
26.07.2019
26.07.2019


Data source (for France and Belgium): Meteociel.
Data source (for Germany): Deutscher Wetterdienst.


Consequences

Due to the long heat wave and the already too dry soils, there were fires in fields and forests during these days. The water level is also continuing to fall, as much too less precipitation has fallen in recent months in most of Central Europe. Individual trees also die due to drought, so that they can fall down.


Text: CL
July 30th, 2019


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