In some parts of the Mediterranean, a further continuation of the extreme heat into August is possible, said a Climate Watch Advisory issued by the Climate Monitoring node of the World MMeteorological Organisation (WMO)'s Regional Climate Centre for Europe. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the Mediterranean Sea are exceptionally high over the coming days and weeks, exceeding 30 °C in some parts, and more than 4 °C above average in a large part of the western Mediterranean, the WMO added. The WMO further indicated that Tunisia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Algeria have reported new maximum daytime and overnight station temperature records. In Tunisia and Algeria the highest maximum temperature was respectively 49.0 °C (Tunis and Kairouan) and 48.7 °C (Dar El Beïda/Argel) on July 23. A rapid study from climate scientists in the World Weather Attribution network said that the heatwaves bore the clear footprint of climate change. «Without human induced climate change these heat events would however have been extremely rare. In China it would have been about a 1 in 250 year event while maximum heat like in July 2023 would have been virtually impossible to occur in the US/Mexico region and Southern Europe if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels,» said the attribution study published on July 25.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse