Europe extreme heat 22–26 July 2019: was it caused by subsidence or advection?
M. P. de Villiers
Abstract
An extreme heat event occurred over Europe from the 22nd to 26th July 2019, peaking on the 25th. Numerous new record maximum temperatures were established in several countries. The following maximum temperatures were recorded on the 25th: While the media has used the term heat wave, there is no single definition for a heat wave. Whether a severe heat event, or heat wave, this study investigates the origin of air over Europe during the heat event from the 22nd to the 6th and whether high surface temperatures were caused primarily by adiabatic subsidence, rather than the horizontal advection of warm/hot transported northward from North Africa using re‐analysis data, atmospheric soundings from two locations and five day trajectories.