Unprecedented heat wave in Europe smashes records during dead of winter
Record heat to start the year left Alps skiers with very few options but to hit the grass. Some countries in Europe are also coming off a record warm 2022.
No snow for skiing... no problem
Skiers in Austria were forced to hit the green slopes. Record heat melted snow across Europe recently giving some skiers few choices but to ski on wet grass.
Record heat made the first week of January feel more like spring or early summer across parts of Europe. Several cities measured the warmest temperatures on record for the months of December and January, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Dresden, Germany hit 66.9 degrees Fahrenheit on Dec. 31, smashing the old December record of 63.8 set in 1961. Prague Kementinum, Czechia, hit 66.9 degrees, also topping their previous December record set in 1961.
Several more records fell the next day when the calendar turned to January and 2023:
- Bilbao, Spain hit 77.1 degrees edging out the previous January record of 75.9 from… just last year
- Besancon, France hit 65.4 degrees breaking the previous January record set over a century ago
- Warsaw, Poland hit 66 degrees which broke the record set in 1993 by 10 degrees
- Abed, Denmark hit 54.6 degrees
A map made by the WMO shows almost the entire continent was warmer than average on Jan. 1. About half of Europe exceeded average temperatures by 14 degrees F (8 degrees C).
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The map shows that high temperatures on January 1, 2023 exceeded average temperature for the day for most of Europe. An 8 degree Celsius difference is about a 14 degree difference Fahrenheit.
(WMO / FOX Weather)
The heat wave took a toll on ski areas across the Alps. Video shows diehard skiers in Austria skiing on green slopes, not letting the lack of snow deter them. While they did not break any downhill speed records, they did find some "skiing" on the wet grass between areas of slush.
A skier has to walk not ski in Bavaria. The bunny slope looks more like a green meadow.
(Sven Hoppe/picture alliance / Getty Images)
The WMO points to high pressure over the Mediterranean flowing clockwise paired with low pressure over the North Atlantic flowing counterclockwise. Strong winds delivered warmth from northwest Africa, plus the Atlantic Ocean's sea surface temperatures are a half to almost 2 degrees above average.
Many countries are coming off their warmest year on record according to the European Meteorological and Hydrological Services.
EXTREME HEAT: TEMPERATURES THIS SUMMER NEARED ALL-TIME RECORDS IN EUROPE; ROADS IN DANGER OF MELTING
2022 was the warmest year on record for parts of Europe
Records fell in Europe in 2022. Great Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland all experienced their warmest year since record-keeping began.
"The Met Office Weather Agency says Britain's annual average temperature was about 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the highest average temperature for the UK since record keeping began in 1884," said FOX Weather's Ian Oliver. "Met office scientists say human activity, primarily fossil fuel emissions, has made warm conditions much more likely."
Several countries including France, Spain, Switzerland and Great Britain reported that 2022 was their warmest year since recordkeeping began. The NMHS is expected to announce this week that Germany also broke their annual record.