European countries faced record heat this winter

This winter, almost every country in Europe experienced unusually warm temperatures. A new study shows that around 20 percent of the global population faced days with extreme heat, which climate change has made twice as likely. The study, conducted by Climate Central, highlights that climate change has a significant impact on local weather patterns. Over the past three months, from December 2024 to February 2025, many people felt this influence daily. Extreme heat was particularly common. Scientists found that nearly 394 million people had 30 or more days of potentially dangerous heat added by climate change. Most of these people, about 74 percent, live in Africa. Risky heat days are defined as temperatures above the local average recorded from 1991 to 2020. Many individuals are unprepared for these high temperatures, leading to health risks. In Europe, 42 out of 43 countries reported warmer temperatures than normal. Russia had the highest average temperature increase at 3.1°C above the historical norm. The Baltic nations also saw significant rises, with Lithuania and Latvia up by 2.8°C, and Estonia by 2.7°C. In total, over 9.4 million people across four European countries experienced daily temperatures influenced by climate change for at least one-third of the winter season. Malta recorded the most exceptionally hot days, followed by Norway and Estonia. Notably, Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway, had the most unusual heat days, with its 1,753 residents experiencing 45 days of extreme heat. Other cities with high temperature increases include Vilnius, Minsk, and Tallinn among others.