'Feels like summer': Warm winter breaks temperature records in Europe

Ski centre on mountain Jahorina is seen in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Kirsten Donovan

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Record-high winter temperatures swept across parts of Europe over the new year, bringing calls from activists for faster action against climate change while offering short-term respite to governments struggling with high gas prices.

Hundreds of sites have seen temperature records smashed in the past days, from Switzerland to Poland to Hungary, which registered its warmest Christmas Eve in Budapest and saw temperatures climb to 18.9 degrees Celsius (66.02°F) on Jan. 1.