2007 European heatwave
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The 2007 European heat wave affected most of Southern Europe and the Balkans. The phenomenon began affecting Italy and Turkey on 17 June and expanded into Greece and the rest of the Balkans, Hungary and Ukraine on 18 June. The costs of the heat wave were estimated at 2 billion euros.[1]
April 2007
Mainz, Germany recorded an average high of 22.4 °C (72.3 °F) for April, the strongest deviation (+6.2 °C (11.2 °F)) from the 1989-2018 average of any month. It was also the first calendar month without any measured precipitation since February 1959. A high of 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) was reached on 14 April.[2][3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Taubertsbergbad_2007-04-28_15-41-42-x.jpg/220px-Taubertsbergbad_2007-04-28_15-41-42-x.jpg)
June 2007
Up until 21 June, temperatures generally hovered around 36–39 °C (97–102 °F) in most of the aforementioned countries; however, starting on 22 June, temperatures skyrocketed in this entire region. From this point on, Greece, Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Turkey experienced record-breaking temperatures in a situation unprecedented even for these nations, typically used to conditions of extreme heat.
During the weekend of 23–24 June and on 25 June, temperatures soared to 43–44 °C (109–111 °F). By 26 June, however, Greece seemed to bear the brunt of the heatwave with temperatures in Athens reaching 46.2 °C (115.2 °F).[4][5] The same day, Greece's national power consumption set a new record.[6] Parts of Greece, including neighbourhoods in Athens, suffered from power outages due to high electricity demand and heat damage to the grid. Explosions from overheating transmission towers were implicated in the forest fires ravaging the country.[5] The discomfort was exacerbated by high night-time temperatures, which exceeded averages by up to 8 °C (14 °F), and remained at very high levels for more than half of the 2007 summer.[4]
More than 200 people were hospitalized for heat-related treatment and 18 people died from
July 2007
By late July, temperatures again rose to more than 40 °C (104 °F) in Southern Europe, impacting agriculture, electricity supply, forestry and human health. From 21 to 25 July, temperatures reached or exceeded 45 °C (113 °F). Over 500 deaths in Hungary were attributed to the heatwave.[7] Major wildfires destroyed large forested areas across the region. Six people (including two Canadair pilots) lost their lives while trying to extinguish the flames in Greece. The country's electricity grid nearly collapsed due to exceptional demand for air conditioning. Hundreds of tourists were stranded on the beaches of Apulia, in Southeastern Italy, and had to be rescued by boats.[8]
In Bulgaria, six people were killed in the fires that started on 22 July. An estimated 1,530 fires broke out between 20 and 24 July, three times the yearly average. During the largest fire near
August 2007
In the beginning of August, the Dalmatian coast in Croatia was hit by severe fires, especially in the surroundings of Dubrovnik.[9]
See also
References
Notes
![]() | This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2018) |
- ^ Mircheva et al. 2017, p. 1.
- ^ "Jahresrückblick 2007 des Deutschen Wetterdienstes - Gefährliche Wetterereignisse und Wetterschäden in Deutschland" (PDF). Deutscher Wetterdienst. 10 December 2007.
- ^ ftp://ftp-cdc.dwd.de/pub/CDC/observations_germany/climate/daily/kl/historical/[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Founda & Giannakopoulos 2009, p. 230.
- ^ a b Grohmann, Karolos (28 June 2007). "Fires burn across sizzling Greece, two dead". Reuters. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "News in Crete & Greece Archive May - June 2007". LivingInCrete.net. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "500 deaths in Hungary blamed on European heat wave". CBC.ca. 24 July 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Europe bakes in summer heatwave". BBC News Online. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ Crnčević, Lidija (6 August 2007). "Zgarište od Cavtata do Mokošice". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Zagreb, Croatia. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
Sources
- Benali, Nacéra (28 June 2007). "La canicule, l'eau et le vin". El Watan (in French). Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- Founda, D.; Giannakopoulos, C. (June 2009). "The exceptionally hot summer of 2007 in Athens, Greece — A typical summer in the future climate?". .
- Mircheva, Biliana; Tsekov, Milen; Meyer, Ulrich; Guerova, Guergana (December 2017). "Anomalies of hydrological cycle components during the 2007 heat wave in Bulgaria". .
- Theoharatos, George; Pantavou, Katerina; Mavrakis, Anastasios; Spanou, Anastasia; Katavoutas, George; Efstathiou, Panos; Mpekas, Periklis; Asimakopoulos, Dimosthenis (February 2010). "Heat waves observed in 2007 in Athens, Greece: Synoptic conditions, bioclimatological assessment, air quality levels and health effects". PMID 20060520.
- Thomas, Raphaëlle (26 July 2007). "Vague de chaleur dévastatrice en Europe du Sud". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- "Canicule sur l'Europe centrale". Météo World (in French). 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- "Une nouvelle vague de canicule attendue en Grèce". El Watan (in French). 20 July 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- "Clima torrido in Puglia Bari record con 46 °C". La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Bari, Italy. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- "Sud-est de l'Europe: canicule meurtrière". Radio Suisse Romande (in French). Geneva. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2018.