A heat limit ‘no meteorologist thought we would cross’

Last Tuesday, the thermometer at London's Heathrow airport clocked in at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40.2 degrees Celsius. The airport runway melted. More than a dozen wildfires broke out across London, while tens of thousands evacuated from wildfires in Spain, France, and Portugal. 

And a lot of meteorologists didn't quite believe it – including Axios' Andrew Freedman.

“A high of 104 degrees has always been this limit that no meteorologist ever thought would be crossed in their lifetime in the UK,” says Freedman.

Europe isn't ready for heat like this. And new research shows western Europe is seeing a 3 to 4 times increase in heat waves compared to anywhere else in the northern midlatitudes. And none of this would be possible without climate change.

This week, we're talking about the extreme heat that gripped Europe – how climate scientists understand it, and the best ways to convey this new reality.

Guest: Andrew Freedman, a climate and energy reporter at Axios. Read his coverage of the heat wave.

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