2020 recorded as warmest on record across Europe

Last year has been recorded aswarmest on record across Europe, breaking the previous high mark by a considerable distance.

The temperatures across the region were more than 1.9C above the long-term average between 1981 and 2010.

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As per the State of the Climate 2020 report from the American Meteorological Society, the temperatures in the Arctic are also rising rapidly.

Robert Dunn, a senior climate scientist at the UK Met Office, was quoted by the BBC as saying, "This level of difference to the previous long-term average, which is a large difference, is something that is concerning".

He further added, "It is something to sit up and take notice of, but it's not just the temperatures that are increasing, the extreme events, the heat waves we're seeing this year, and last year as well. We're seeing these responses across the world."

The reports earlier this year confirmed that 2020 was Europe's warmest on record and one of the three hottest globally. The new data shows that Europe's temperature margin over previous years was significantly greater than previously thought.

The temperature not only was the year 1.9C above the long-term average, but it was also more than 0.5C greater than the previous high mark.

Prof Gabi Hegerl, professor of climate system science at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved with the study said, "The amount by which the previous record has been exceeded should worry us all".

He further added, "European temperatures are well measured and can be tracked back to the beginning of industrialisation and beyond, using documentary evidence and proxy records. This long-term context emphasises how unusual this warmth is."