The first three weeks of July 2023 were the hottest three-week period in the world. In the summer of 2023, twice as many people in Germany experienced daytime temperatures of 35°C (95°F) or higher than the 1980-1999 average. This is evident in a study recently published by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Researchers from KIT’s Center for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Technologies (CEDIM) reported that the impact of temperature on the European population was greatest in Italy.

In the summer of 2023, several warm periods of varying duration and intensity occurred partly simultaneously in different parts of the northern hemisphere. Researchers from the CEDIM KIT Forensic Disaster Analysis Working Group (FDA) analyzed the record temperatures reached and the impact it had on the population.

In June 2023, ocean surface temperatures were higher than ever since records began.

Previous record temperatures were significantly exceeded in some regions, while new daily or monthly records were recorded in some regions. In June 2023, the average global ocean surface temperature reached its highest level ever. For the Earth’s surface, including land, June 2023 was the warmest June since 1850.

Globally, the first three weeks of July 2023 were the hottest three weeks in history. The daily record global surface temperature of 17.08 degrees Celsius was reached on July 6, followed by 17.07 degrees Celsius on July 5 and July 7.

In July 2023, Mediterranean countries including North Africa and the Middle East reached extreme temperatures and new country records were set (official approval from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is still pending). The United States, Canada and China also reported record temperatures.

From the FDA CEDIM Task Group, Dr. “A long-lasting and extremely large-scale flow structure is required for a large temperature anomaly to develop over a long period of time,” says Andreas Schaefer. The distribution of pressure in the middle troposphere at an altitude of about 5.5 kilometers plays an important role, as it affects the flow of air in the upper layers of the atmosphere and, accordingly, the transfer of air masses.

“In July 2023, areas of extremely persistent high pressure prevailed in areas affected by high temperatures. Here, descending air masses contributed significantly to the warming and local development of the heatwave,” says Schaefer.

The researchers also studied the effects of temperature on the population. Nearly seven million people in Germany were exposed to maximum temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) every day. This was about 40 percent higher than the average for the period from 1980 to 1999. The number of people exposed to temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher during the day has doubled to nearly 206,000. Compared to previous decades, summer heat exposure was much higher in Italy, Greece, Spain, the USA and China. and India.

Temperature record of over 40 degrees was broken in Italy

The most intense heat in Europe was experienced in Italy. A new temperature record of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) has been set here. While only 4,000 people a day were exposed to such high temperatures from 1980 to 1999, by 2023 that number will rise to over 127,000. In order to eliminate the negative effects of heat exposure on human health, government agencies have adopted action plans and implemented various strategies. Adaptations, including the installation of public wells and water distribution systems. In Germany such systems can mostly be found in urban agglomerations. Source