This year, dozens of weather records were broken, and 2020 could end up being the warmest ever.
In Eindhoven, there were 133 days when the mercury topped 20°C this year. The year 2020 is heading toward being the warmest year ever. Not only in the Netherlands, but in Europe and even the world.
Whether or not records will crumble depends on how mild December is. This year’s average Dutch temperature has been 12.2°C. At 12.5 degrees, Eindhoven’s average is even a little higher.
A few hottest days ever
Eindhoven had several days that broke the record for the warmest ones. These were on 16 February (18), 6 (24) and 8 April (25.5), 11 August (35.8), and 9 November (18.2). Our warmest year so far was 2014. An average of 11.7°C was measured at the end of that year.
According to meteorologist, Jaco van Wezel, of Weerplaza, it’s going to be a close call. “It looks like we’ll be 1/10th of a degree below the record of six years ago.” You can trace the cause back to global warming, continues the weatherman. “After more than a century of measuring temperatures, records should be rare. But they’re being broken time and again lately.”
It’s not only the Netherlands that’s heading for a record year. Van Wezel says the European record of 2019 will almost certainly be broken in 2020. So far, it is nearly 1.7 degrees warmer than the average for 1981-2010.
The global record could also be broken this month. The warmest year worldwide was in 2016. “This year, it’s only 0.05 below that, so far.” But, will next year be even warmer?
La Niña
Van Wezel doesn’t think so. “That’s mainly due to a natural phenomenon called La Niña. In this, the sea temperatures in a part of the Pacific Ocean are lower than average. This started this autumn and will continue into spring.
“It causes the world to cool down. That doesn’t mean daily records won’t fall again next year,” Jaco concludes.
Source: OmroepBrabant
Translator: Melinda Walraven
