That’s just beaten the record held jointly by 1976 and 2020. There is still more than half the summer to go 😳

At least 11 people have died in a wildfire in southern Spain, with early indications suggesting four of the victims are British, according to a local official 😥 Heatwaves across Europe have dried out vast areas of land and made them particularly vulnerable to wildfires. "The fire danger remains at very high or extreme levels in much of the country," Spain's meteorological agency says, urging people to "take extra precautions". In June, Spain reached its highest daily average since 1950, and had days where it recorded its highest ever temperatures for that month. Temperatures as high as 42C (107.6F) were forecast in some parts of the country. Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service. This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe's water supply, and more intense wildfires. A wildfire in southern France has also forced thousands of people to evacuate as the country faces an early summer heatwave. The fires have also affected Spain where more than 2,200 hectares in the natural reserve of Les Gavarres in the north of the country have been destroyed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2vz8lyql1t

Currently we have (from the members who make their location available) UK 16 USA 11 Canada 3 Australia 2 New Zealand 1 I’d love to see other areas represented. France? Spain? Europe? Weather is a Global thing, and we’re all being affected by Climate Change, so let’s hear it from you. I know Skoolers are all around the globe, in almost every country. How is it changing your life? Do you just carry on regardless, or does it make life harder? If you live in a traditionally hot area, what are your tips for keeping cool?

Here are the CET (Central England Temperature) anomalies for the first 6 months of the year, compared to 1991-2020. Incredible 🥵

Climate change doesn’t create every hot spell from scratch. But it does change the odds. Think about it. We don’t get that many days that are very hot or very cold. Most days are closer to average. Plot them on a graph and they look a bit like a bell, with the very hot and very cold days at either end. Global temperature has increased by around 1.4C since pre-industrial times. That may not sound much. But now look at the second curve. The hot end has shifted quite a bit. That means temperatures that used to be rare are now closer to normal - more days cross the line into extreme heat. So heatwaves become more likely. And when they happen, they are more likely to be hotter and last longer, because they are happening in a world that is already warmer. - Justin Rowlatt, BBC Climate Editor