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Japan Today
11 hours ago
- Climate
- Japan Today
Exceptional Nordic heatwave stumps tourists seeking shade
People in Finland slept next to the cooling shelves in a grocery store to escape the heatwave By Anna KORKMAN Nordic countries are relieved after battling an exceptional heatwave which shattered the hopes of foreigners seeking to cool off in the far north -- a disappointment meteorologists warn is likely to be repeated. Tourism has been on the rise in Nordic countries in recent years, driven in part by the trend of "coolcations" -- where tourists flee the heat of the Mediterranean for milder temperatures in the north. But this year record-breaking temperatures in July dashed tourists' hopes of escaping the intense heat. On Monday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said in a statement that the country had just emerged from 22 days of temperatures over 30C -- the longest such heatwave since records began in 1961. July was also the third hottest month recorded in Norway since records began in 1901, with temperatures 2.8 degrees Celsius higher that the seasonal average nationwide, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. A two-week heatwave, between July 12 and 25, was also the hottest ever recorded in the country. So-called "tropical nights", where the temperature doesn't drop below 20C, have become commonplace in the region. The unusually high temperatures have been a shock to tourists seeking to escape the heat elsewhere. Moussaab El Bacha, a Stockholm resident, told AFP about his parent's surprise when they came over from Morocco to visit. "They were actually quite surprised by the intensity of the heat here. They had expected a cooler break from the Moroccan summer, but instead, it felt like the heat followed them all the way to Sweden," he said. "It was a bit surreal for them to experience such high temperatures this far north — they kept saying: 'Are we sure we didn't just land in southern Spain?'" In Haparanda, in Sweden's far north, temperatures reached 25C or above for 14 consecutive days in July, and in Jokkmokk, the heatwave lasted over 15 days, something not seen in a century, according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). In Rovaniemi, a Finnish town north of the Arctic Circle which bills itself as the hometown of Santa Claus, temperatures reached above 30C last week. The municipality of Joensuu in southeastern Finland opened an ice rink for people to cool off in, to reduce pressure on the local healthcare services, North Karelia's regional healthcare services chief Mikael Ripatti told AFP. Ripatti said emergency rooms had become overcrowded as people sought care for heat-related health issues. "The aim was to provide a place to go if it was too hot at home," Ripatti said. Other cities opened up similar cooling facilities to the public, with a shop in Helsinki letting people lie down next to its cooling shelves. The Arctic region is heating far faster than other parts of the planet. Of the continents overall, Europe has seen the fastest warming per decade since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to global data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "The length of the period and the high temperatures throughout the day in all parts of the country were very unusual this time," Ketil Isaksen, a climate researcher with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, said in a statement. "This type of heatwave has become more likely with climate change," the researcher added. Scientists say recurring heatwaves are a marker of global warming and are expected to become more frequent, longer, and more intense. "There have been heatwaves in the past and there will continue to be heatwaves in the future," Hannele Korhonen, a research professor at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, told AFP. But as climate change drives up global temperatures we are "exceeding the heatwave threshold more often, and the heatwaves are hotter", she added. "An in-depth attribution study would be necessary to pinpoint or assess the role of climate change in the prolonged heatwave (that struck) northern Sweden," Sverker Hellstrom, a meteorologist at SMHI, told AFP. However, he added: "The frequency of such weather events has increased and may continue to rise in the future." © 2025 AFP
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
From from Finland to Norway, Nordic ‘coolcations' ruined as heatwave shatters records
HELSINKI, Aug 6 — Nordic countries are relieved after battling an exceptional heatwave which shattered the hopes of foreigners seeking to cool off in the far north — a disappointment meteorologists warn is likely to be repeated. Tourism has been on the rise in Nordic countries in recent years, driven in part by the trend of 'coolcations' — where tourists flee the heat of the Mediterranean for milder temperatures in the north. But this year record-breaking temperatures in July dashed tourists' hopes of escaping the intense heat. On Monday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said in a statement that the country had just emerged from 22 days of temperatures over 30C — the longest such heatwave since records began in 1961. July was also the third hottest month recorded in Norway since records began in 1901, with temperatures 2.8 degrees Celsius higher that the seasonal average nationwide, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. A two-week heatwave, between July 12 and 25, was also the hottest ever recorded in the country. So-called 'tropical nights', where the temperature doesn't drop below 20C, have become commonplace in the region. Tourists' hot surprise The unusually high temperatures have been a shock to tourists seeking to escape the heat elsewhere. Moussaab El Bacha, a Stockholm resident, told AFP about his parent's surprise when they came over from Morocco to visit. 'They were actually quite surprised by the intensity of the heat here. They had expected a cooler break from the Moroccan summer, but instead, it felt like the heat followed them all the way to Sweden,' he said. 'It was a bit surreal for them to experience such high temperatures this far north — they kept saying: 'Are we sure we didn't just land in southern Spain?'' In Haparanda, in Sweden's far north, temperatures reached 25C or above for 14 consecutive days in July, and in Jokkmokk, the heatwave lasted over 15 days, something not seen in a century, according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Finland has broken an over 50-year-old weather record as the country is witnessing the longest period of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said. — AFP pic An ice rink oasis In Rovaniemi, a Finnish town north of the Arctic Circle which bills itself as the hometown of Santa Claus, temperatures reached above 30C last week. The municipality of Joensuu in southeastern Finland opened an ice rink for people to cool off in, to reduce pressure on the local healthcare services, North Karelia's regional healthcare services chief Mikael Ripatti told AFP. Ripatti said emergency rooms had become overcrowded as people sought care for heat-related health issues. 'The aim was to provide a place to go if it was too hot at home,' Ripatti said. Other cities opened up similar cooling facilities to the public, with a shop in Helsinki letting people lie down next to its cooling shelves. Arctic heating The Arctic region is heating far faster than other parts of the planet. Of the continents overall, Europe has seen the fastest warming per decade since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to global data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 'The length of the period and the high temperatures throughout the day in all parts of the country were very unusual this time,' Ketil Isaksen, a climate researcher with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, said in a statement. 'This type of heatwave has become more likely with climate change,' the researcher added. Scientists say recurring heatwaves are a marker of global warming and are expected to become more frequent, longer, and more intense. 'There have been heatwaves in the past and there will continue to be heatwaves in the future,' Hannele Korhonen, a research professor at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, told AFP. But as climate change drives up global temperatures we are 'exceeding the heatwave threshold more often, and the heatwaves are hotter', she added. 'An in-depth attribution study would be necessary to pinpoint or assess the role of climate change in the prolonged heatwave (that struck) northern Sweden,' Sverker Hellstrom, a meteorologist at SMHI, told AFP. However, he added: 'The frequency of such weather events has increased and may continue to rise in the future.' — AFP
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Exceptional Nordic heatwave stumps tourists seeking shade
Nordic countries are relieved after battling an exceptional heatwave which shattered the hopes of foreigners seeking to cool off in the far north -- a disappointment meteorologists warn is likely to be repeated. Tourism has been on the rise in Nordic countries in recent years, driven in part by the trend of "coolcations" -- where tourists flee the heat of the Mediterranean for milder temperatures in the north. But this year record-breaking temperatures in July dashed tourists' hopes of escaping the intense heat. On Monday, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said in a statement that the country had just emerged from 22 days of temperatures over 30C -- the longest such heatwave since records began in 1961. July was also the third hottest month recorded in Norway since records began in 1901, with temperatures 2.8 degrees Celsius higher that the seasonal average nationwide, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. A two-week heatwave, between July 12 and 25, was also the hottest ever recorded in the country. So-called "tropical nights", where the temperature doesn't drop below 20C, have become commonplace in the region. The unusually high temperatures have been a shock to tourists seeking to escape the heat elsewhere. Moussaab El Bacha, a Stockholm resident, told AFP about his parent's surprise when they came over from Morocco to visit. "They were actually quite surprised by the intensity of the heat here. They had expected a cooler break from the Moroccan summer, but instead, it felt like the heat followed them all the way to Sweden," he said. AFP
The Guardian
02-08-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Nordic countries hit by ‘truly unprecedented' heatwave
Cold Nordic countries are being seared by 'truly unprecedented' heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe. A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat. Scientists say it is the longest streak in records going back to 1961, and 50% longer than the previous record. 'Truly unprecedented heatwave still in full swing with maximum today about 32-33C,' said Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in a social media post on Thursday. 'Even the Arctic regions … have seen three weeks above 25C, and may rival tomorrow their August heat records.' The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said temperatures above 30C were recorded on 12 days in July by at least one station in its three northernmost counties. Although the country had a brief respite last week as hot weather moved north and east, the institute said it expected temperatures of 30C might be reached again over the weekend. 'We have some hot days ahead of us in northern Norway,' it said. In Sweden, meteorologists said long-term heatwaves were noted at several stations in the north of the country, with a weather station in Haparanda measuring 25C or more for 14 days in a row. In Jokkmokk, Lappland, the heatwave lasted for 15 days. 'To find a longer period at these stations, you have to go back more than a century,' said Sverker Hellström, a scientist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Blistering heat swept northern Europe in mid-July, driven by hot waters off the Norwegian northern coast and a stubborn area of high pressure that brought temperatures in the Nordics 8-10C above seasonal norms. The region has also since been hit by storms and lightning strikes that have sparked wildfires. The hot weather has taken people by surprise in a part of the continent better adapted to the cold. Researchers have found that countries such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland will face the greatest relative rise in uncomfortably hot days as the planet heats up, and have warned that their infrastructure is not well-suited to cope. On Wednesday, an ice rink in northern Finland opened its doors to people seeking refuge from the heat after they overfilled the local hospital's emergency room, according to Finnish media. On Thursday, herders warned that their reindeer were on the verge of dying in the heat. Swedish radio reported that foreign tourists heading north to Scandinavia for 'coolcations' had instead encountered dangerous heat warnings. 'As climate change progresses, exceptionally severe heatwaves will intensify,' said Heikki Tuomenvirta, a scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. 'They are occurring more frequently, are more severe and last longer.'
The Independent
02-08-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Nordic countries hit by ‘truly unprecedented heatwave'
A number of Nordic countries are facing a 'truly unprecedented' heatwave. Scientists have said the hot temperatures, above 30C, were recorded in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle for 12 days, and three weeks in Finland have been the longest streak since 1961. Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said was a, 'Truly unprecedented heatwave still in full swing with maximum today about 32-33C.' 'Even the Arctic regions … have seen three weeks above 25C, and may rival tomorrow their August heat records,' he added. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said temperatures above 30C were recorded on 12 days in July by at least one station in its three northernmost counties. The institute said it expected temperatures of 30C might be reached again over the weekend. 'We have some hot days ahead of us in northern Norway,' it told The Guardian. Meteorologists in Sweden said you'd have to go back more than a century to find longer periods of heatwaves in certain areas after several stations in the North of the country noting long-term heatwaves - one in Haparanda measuring 25C or more lasted 14 days in a row. Northern Europe was faced with sweltering heat in mid-July. Last month was the UK 's fifth warmest July on record, according to provisional figures from the Met Office. The mean average temperature across the month was 16.8C, ranking it behind 2006 (17.8C), 2018 (17.2C), 1983 (17.1C) and 2013 (17.0C). Researchers have found that countries such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland will face the greatest relative rise in uncomfortably hot days as the planet heats up, and have warned that their infrastructure is not well-suited to cope.
