Record-breaking heat and drought in Hungary: serious damage and forecasts

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 08. 20. 11:34

The extreme heat experienced in recent days has serious consequences in Hungary. On Thursday, a third-degree heat alert was in effect in four counties, and from Friday, the heat will extend to two more counties. The national chief medical officer raised the heat alert announced last Sunday to level three on Wednesday, which will definitely remain in effect until Sunday.

The heat record was broken

On Tuesday, 40.7 degrees Celsius were measured in Kelebia, which is a new daily heat record in Hungary, surpassing the previous peak recorded in 1946 in Kaposvár. The weather in July was also extreme, according to the HungaroMet study, we experienced the hottest and driest month in the last 154 years.

Serious damage to agriculture

Due to the drought, critical conditions have developed in a significant part of the country. Due to the decrease in the water level of Lake Balaton, forced fishing had to be ordered in the Balatonföldvár lake unit. In the fields of Homokhátság, half of the crop of spring-sown crops was destroyed, and in Bács-Kiskun County, the alfalfa and grassland areas were also burnt. The quality of this year’s wheat harvest has also deteriorated significantly, as a result of which a double-digit rise in flour prices is expected in September.

Effects of global warming in Hungary

Global warming is responsible for the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events. In Hungary, the temperature average of the first seven months of this year was more than 4.4 degrees higher than the pre-industrial period, and the Carpathian Basin is warming faster than the global average. According to the EU’s climate research institute, Copernicus, the global average temperature has also risen significantly, and we must prepare for more extreme weather in the future.