Europe’s hottest March shows effects of destabilised climate

Scientists reported that Europe had its hottest March ever. This extreme heat led to unusual rainfall patterns across Europe.

The world had its second hottest March since July 2023. And Europe is warming more quickly than any other continent.

This warming is caused by the release of greenhouse gases that heat the planet. Many of these gases are released by burning fossil fuels.

Scientists warn that even small increases in Earth’s temperature make extreme weather events more powerful and frequent. These include heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts.

Climate change is not just about rising temperatures. Other problems are caused by heat being trapped in the atmosphere and seas by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane (see graphic).

This also affects global rainfall patterns.

Some parts of Europe had the “driest March on record and others their wettest” for about half a century, said Samantha Burgess. She is from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It runs the Copernicus Climate Change Service that released this report.

Bill McGuire is a climate scientist from University College London. He said the extremely dry and wet records showed the effects of a destabilised climate.

“As climate breakdown progresses, more broken records are only to be expected,” he said.