Europe saw warmest summer on record in 2021

A recent report by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service found that last year's summer months in Europe were marked by severe and long-lasting heatwaves. Photo: Pixabay

Scientists say last summer was the hottest summer on record in Europe, with temperatures a full one degree Celsius higher than the average for the previous three decades.

A report released April 22 by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service found that while spring 2021 was cooler than average, the summer months were marked by "severe and long-lasting heatwaves” that saw numerous new temperature records, including an unprecedented 48.8ºC measured in Sicily last August.