Record-high winter temperatures have enveloped parts of the European continent, leaving ski slopes snow-less and weather records broken.
On the night of 30 to 31 December, France recorded the warmest temperature since records began. In the southwest of the country temperatures climbed to nearly 25 degrees Celsius on New Year’s Day.
In Germany, the Weather Service recorded temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius. Following the trend of record-breaking winter temperatures, these seasonably warm figures have not been seen in the country since 1881 when records first began.
The mild winter temperatures aren’t just affecting humans, but plants and animals as well. Reports of flowering trees in private gardens made the news in the Czech Republic as blossoms bloomed unseasonably early. In Switzerland, the office of Meteorology and Climatology even went as far as to issue a pollen warning as a result of early blooming hazel plants.
Mountains south of Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo were bare of snow and skiers on Thursday (January 5) after record-breaking January temperatures across Europe.
During what should have been one of the busiest weeks of the season, ski-lifts hung lifeless above the grassy slopes and a few tourists walked around the deserted ski resort on Bjelasnica mountain.
Tourist Bajazit Alomerovic had spent New Year 2022 skiing on Bjelasnica and wanted to spend the first days of 2023 in the same way, “but now there is no snow”.
“It hasn’t snowed for two and a half weeks. We expect it every day, it is time for us to go back home and there is still no snow”, Alomerovic said.
“It’s not cold at all”, said fellow tourist Rijad Dzulancic, who was also disappointed not to be able to hit the slopes. “It’s really warm and right now I’m in a vest instead of a winter jacket”, he added.
Scientists have not yet analysed the specific ways in which climate change affected the recent high temperatures.
But January’s warm weather spell fits into the longer-term trend of rising temperatures due to human-caused climate change.
