THE annual series of global climate reports has revealed that Europe experienced its warmest year in 2020 by a considerable amount.

The report showed that 2020 in Europe was 1.9 °C above the long-term average of 1981-2010.

When compared with the average for the period 1981-2010, many countries reported their highest annual average temperatures, including:

  • Belgium (+1.9 °C)
  • The Netherlands (+1.6 °C)
  • Luxembourg (+2.1 °C)
  • France (+1.5 °C)
  • Spain (+1.2 °C)
  • Switzerland (+1.5 °C)
  • Norway (+1.9 °C)
  • Poland (+1.9 °C)
  • Estonia (+2.4 °C)
  • Lithuania (+2.3 °C)
  • Finland (+2.4 °C)
  • Sweden (+2.0 °C)
  • Belarus (+2.3 C°)
  • Ukraine (+2.8 °C)
  • European Russia (+2.9 °C)
  • Kazakhstan (+ 2.2°C)

All five of the warmest years for annual average temperature in Europe have occurred since 2014.

The Met Office’s Dr Robert Dunn is the lead editor for the global climate chapter of the report.

He said: “This report adds to all the other evidence that human-induced climate change is affecting every part of the globe, but not all regions are experiencing the change at the same rate.

"The Arctic is continuing to warm at a faster pace than lower latitudes, but Europe’s annual average temperature is also increasing quite rapidly, with the five highest annual temperatures all occurring from 2014.”