By Keaton Hills and Martine Hagen
It’s not only here in Norway the beginning of fall is warmer than usual. The Danes must go all the way back to 1947 to find a warmer September.
Thursday a new temperature record was set in Norway, as it was measured 30.6 degrees in Etne, Vestland. This is the warmest temperature ever measured in Norway in September.
But we are not the only ones experiencing this heat. Wednesday the temperature was measured to 27 degrees in Copenhagen. Yet the warmest place in Denmark this day was on Bornholm where it was measured 30.2 degrees, according to Danish Meteorological Institute.
Not since 1947 has there been a warmer September in Denmark.
Locals and tourists had Thursday decided to cool down at the Copenhagen Harbour Baths. Others sat outside drinking the famous “utepils”. And some people used the day to visit the different tourist attractions the city could offer.
– This is very comfortable
Sherry Chien (21), Polly Chen (28) and Yidi Luo (22) have been in the Danish capital for three days and are planning on exploring the city by bike.
They have come all the way from Taiwan and China, and this is their first time in Denmark.
– Did you expect the weather to be like this when you decided to come here?
– We checked the weather before we came, so yes, we expected it, but we know that normally in Northern Europe it’s always raining. But these days the weather is really nice, Luo says.
– Can we move to the shade, Chien asks while talking to us. Standing in direct sunlight for long can be uncomfortable when the protractor measures over 25 degrees.
– Is it difficult managing the heat when you’re out all day touring around?
– I think it’s not quite difficult, because in Asia it is much more humid and hotter than this. This is very comfortable for us, they say.
– Largely attributed to human influence
The Danish Meterological Institute states that it is normal that they measure warm max temperatures above 25 degrees in September, but temperatures above 30 degrees are quite rare.
Bengü Akyurek, expert on Climate Change Risks and Adaptation at the European Environment Agency, says that Europe is the fastest warming continent.
– Europe has temperatures rising about twice the global rate since the 1980s, mainly due to factors like the large Arctic landmass and loss of ice cover. Copenhagen, in Northern Europe, faces similar climate risks, including enhanced winter warming, increased precipitation in winter but drier summers, more frequent pluvial flooding, and worsening summer droughts, despite no overall change in annual rainfall. These changes are largely attributed to human influence, she tells us.
– How does heat later in the year impact people and the ecosystem?
– A holistic approach is needed to assess how rising temperatures will impact people and ecosystems in Northern Europe. Scientific research, like from EUCRA, shows that increasing temperatures are already affecting biodiversity, with more frequent forest fires threatening permanent forest loss. Heavy precipitation is leading to more floods, which damage vegetation and ecosystems, while reduced snow cover is shifting species to higher elevations, increasing species richness in northern mountain regions, Akyurek states, before she continues:
– For human health, rising marine and coastal risks threaten water and food security, and floods from extreme weather events are causing significant economic damage.
The warm weather will last in Denmark, but for Norwegians the joy is temporary, as it next week is a forecast of rain and as Akyurek mentions: a risk of flooding.
This story is made for a Norwegian audience, and could be published in VG or NRK etc.