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Climate Adaptation

Record Heatwaves Are Scorching Eastern Europe and Siberia

The extreme temperatures are linked to variations in the jet stream, a phenomenon that’s also influencing heat and drought in the Western U.S. 

A woman passes a temperature display during a heatwave in central Moscow on June 23.

A woman passes a temperature display during a heatwave in central Moscow on June 23.

Photographer: Sergei Fadeichev/TASS/Getty Images

Residents in eastern Europe and parts of Siberia unaccustomed to high temperatures are struggling to cope with heatwaves sweeping across the region.

Kyiv, Belgrade and Budapest experienced record-high monthly temperatures in June, leading to a spate of drownings in rivers and swimming pools in Serbia as crowds rushed to cool off. In Ukraine, residents ignored authorities’ warnings of an unusually high concentration of bacteria at some beaches as they sought relief in the water.