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In Pictures

Gallery|Climate Crisis

Record-breaking heat continues across Europe

Temperatures hit new highs and storms show no signs of easing across many European counties.

Europe Heatwave
Flooding hits Le Mans. There were 204,000 lightning strikes in France in May, beating the previous record of 85,000 in 2009. [Jean-Francois Monier/AFP]
Published On 5 Jun 20185 Jun 2018
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Europe’s weather has been stuck in a pattern that has resulted in record-breaking temperatures and severe storms.

What is known as an Omega Block has been stuck over the continent for more than a month. This type of high-pressure system is often very persistent and associated with building heatwaves.

Record temperatures have been recorded in many European countries. Germany, Finland, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Croatia all reported the warmest May in at least a century. The Netherlands experienced the warmest May in 300 years.

There is no sign of the weather pattern changing any time soon, with warm air expected to continue across much of central and southern Europe as well as the associated threat of thunderstorms.

Europe Heatwave
A sunset in Dresden. This May was the warmest in Germany since 1889 and comes after the warmest April since records began in 1881. [Filip Singer/EPA]
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Europe Heatwave
Fine weather on one side of Lake Geneva, but on the other side of you can see towering cumulus clouds already developing. [Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA]
Europe Heatwave
Hot weather across mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands has seen widespread thunderstorm activity continuing into June. [Cati Cladera/EPA]
Europe Heatwave
Federal Palace in Bern illuminated by a dramatic thunderstorm. [Anthony Anex/EPA]
Europe Heatwave
Flooding in Valencia on June 3 after a storm system hit eastern Spain and southern France. [Juan Carlos Cardenas/EPA]
Europe Heatwave
Creative ways to keep in Stockholm. Temperature records dating back to 1739 have been broken in recent days. [Pontus Lundaht/EPA]
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Europe Heatwave
Fine weather in Kastrup, Copenhagen, Denmark. The average temperature in the country was 15C, beating the 1889 record of 13.8C. [Mads Claus Rasmussen/EEPA]


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