Climate Changed
Winter Heatwave in Europe Will Extend Into the Middle of March
Freak weather that unsettled energy markets and sparked wildfires adds to evidence of a shift in climate.
Deckchairs on Palace Pier in Brighton, U.K., on Feb. 25.
Photographer: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images EuropeThis article is for subscribers only.
Europe’s freakishly warm weather is likely to extend into the middle of March and may be evidence that human activity like burning fossil fuels is shifting the climate.
That’s what scientists are saying after temperatures topped 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time during the winter in the U.K. The comments, which are becoming increasingly frequent with each new spell of unusual weather, break with the convention that individual shifts in the temperature are almost impossible to link to a change in the climate.