2023 European heatwaves
In 2023, Europe has been affected by heat waves. The most significant of these so far has been the named heat wave, Cerberus Heatwave, which is expected to bring the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe. Starting on 10 July 2023, the record-breaking Cerberus anticyclone affected many European countries, with the effects felt most severely in parts of Southeast and Southwest Europe such as Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Spain. The private Italian weather website iLMeteo named the extreme weather event after the hound of Hades from Greek mythology, and although some reports link the naming to the Italian Meteorological Society, the society's president said that they "absolutely don’t use it".
Sea surface temperatures on 24 July | |
| Type | Heat wave |
|---|---|
| Areas | |
| Start date | June 2023 |
| End date | September 2023 |
It is one of the first major named heatwaves in history; temperatures were predicted to exceed 48 °C (118 °F) and break the record for the hottest ever recorded in Europe. The European Space Agency predicted temperatures in Italy exceeding 50 °C (122 °F). The event also led to record-breaking high temperatures in the Arctic, following a week of the hottest global average temperatures ever recorded. Several regional temperature records have also been broken, and the heatwave has prompted health warnings and government action in several countries.
According to the British Met Office, 2023 is expected to have more intense heatwaves than those experienced in 2022. In June, the European Environment Agency warned that schools and hospitals were at risk of high temperatures.