Extreme heat is sweeping across western Europe, as a powerful “heat dome” drives temperatures far above seasonal averages.

France recorded its hottest May day on record, according to the national weather agency, while the UK also experienced unprecedented highs.

The All Ireland Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. Please feel free to use these comments in your reporting and follow up with the contact details provided. 

Peter Thorne, Director ICARUS Climate Research Centre, Maynooth University, comments”We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heatwave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change arising from our emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

“But nevertheless many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy.

“We have more than 100 years of observational records. To break the all-time May record by more than 2 degrees, a week out from the end of the month when we’d expect records to be set, is hard to comprehend.

“While people may think this is great, the impact upon heat related mortality and morbidity will be considerable (early season events have much greater impacts as society is not acclimatised) and the impacts upon agriculture and industry considerable. Rather than jauntily putting a picture of an ice cream cone, a barbecue or a beach, the media may wish to consider the real impacts upon the most vulnerable in society and recalibrate their framing accordingly.”

Declaration of interest: No conflicts 

Professor Mary Bourke, Professor in Geography, Trinity College Dublin, comments: 

“Record breaking May heat across Europe this week follows an already very wet hydrological year in Ireland. Our rivers, lakes and groundwater are still above normal following the repeated Atlantic storms and flooding over winter and early spring. That means this “heat dome” is not yet tipping Ireland into drought, briefly increasing water loss from land and plants in areas that are still mostly wet.

“Early season hot spells of this kind matter for water systems in two ways:

“First, they can rapidly dry surface soils and vegetation, so that the next heavy showers or thunderstorms produces flashier local runoff, surface erosion and water quality problems rather than broad scale river flooding.

“Second, they are part of a longer term shift: climate projections indicate warmer summers with more frequent heat episodes and a tendency towards lower summer rainfall, even as winters become wetter and more flood prone.

“In this way, this heat event is a signal of the new normal. It adds an extra “drying pulse” into a year already characterised by high flows, and it foreshadows a future in which repeated short heatwaves can progressively erode water availability and increase both flood and drought risks.”

Declaration of interest: None received 

Dr Claire Bergin, Post Doctoral Researcher,  ICARUS Climate Research Centre, Maynooth University, comments:

“Climate change doesn’t guarantee a heat dome every summer, but we know that in general, global temperatures are rising due to human caused climate change and making unusually warm periods more likely in Ireland. Recent studies by the WASITUS project show Irish summer temperatures are rising, and this latest heat event is another example of that trend. While people may be enjoying their time in the warm weather the new May records are making climate scientists like me worried for the future. Not just for Irish temperatures but for global temperatures.”

Declaration of interest: None received