Record hot summer: we have survived the hottest months in the last 123 years

The summer of 2023 not only broke the seasonal temperature record, but also brought the longest and most intense heat wave so far. The average temperature of the last three months was 23.4 degrees Celsius, which is more than half a degree higher than last year’s record. And the average temperature of the summers between 1991 and 2020 was 2.6 degrees lower than this year, which points to an accelerating trend of temperature rise. All of the five warmest summers occurred after 2000, and three of them in the last six years – reports g7.hu.

Together with the summer peaks, the heat records in Hungary have been broken for a whole year in a row. New highs were recorded last fall, and again this winter and spring, showing that extreme weather conditions are becoming more common. The average temperature of the last 12 months was 13.5 degrees, which is almost 3 degrees higher than the average between 1991-2020.

Autumn also begins with extreme heat. The heat warning issued at the end of August will remain in effect until September 5, and the average daily temperature will still be above 25 degrees. During this summer, there was a heat warning in effect on 28 days, and this is also joined by the warning at the beginning of the autumn season. The national average temperature also exceeded 25 degrees on 35 days, which further strengthens the heat records and the frequency of extreme heat waves.