Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 31st Jan. World Meteorological Organization on Tuesday has officially confirmed a new record temperature for continental Europe of 48.8°C – that’s nearly 120°F, in a press release issued in New York.
WMO stated the temperature was recorded in Syracuse on the Italian island of Sicily on 11 August 2021 and verified by an international panel of atmospheric scientists.
The record of 48.0°C had been held by the Greek cities of Athens and Elefsina since July 1977, WHO noted.
It was based on government sources and not independently verified by WMO.
WMO Spokesperson Clare Nullis said it was important that the world has confidence that global records are properly measured and verified, adding that “the extremes that we are monitoring, verifying are snapshots of our changing climate”.
The agency said the investigation also demonstrates the alarming tendency for continuing high temperature records to be set, warning that greater extremes will occur across Europe in the future.
Ms. Nullis added that the confirmation involved lengthy procedures, meticulous care and painstaking evaluation to ensure the levels of confidence.
