Weather service warns of a multiplication of hot days
Published: Friday, Nov 8th 2024, 15:00
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According to model simulations, average temperatures in German-speaking countries would rise by a further 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century if global CO2 emissions continue unabated. Among other things, this would lead to a drastic increase in hot days.
This is according to a current overview paper published jointly on Friday by the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) and the national weather services of Switzerland and Austria.
According to the paper, the average temperature in these three countries in such a scenario would be 4.0 to 7.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2100. "This would have massive consequences - including a further increase in heat stress, even less snow at low altitudes and more and more intense heavy rainfall events," the paper by the three weather services states. They want to use this to campaign for more climate protection ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29).
COP29 begins on Monday in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku under difficult circumstances - partly due to the election of Donald Trump, known as a climate change denier, as the new US president. With "consistent global climate protection", model simulations suggest that global warming in the German-speaking region could level off just above the current level, according to the report.
Up to 57 hot days in Zurich
If global greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, simulations show that this would lead to a multiplication of hot days with temperatures of at least 30 degrees, among other things. According to MeteoSwiss, the average number of hot days at the Zurich measurement site is expected to increase from the current 8 to 9 to 27 to 57 hot days per year by the end of the century without climate protection.
According to the weather services, the number of extremely hot days at lower altitudes in Austria in such a scenario would then be as high as 60 to 100, which is "currently still completely unimaginable", as the weather services explained. In Germany, there are currently seven hot days, with over 40 expected.
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