More than 100 years later Nordic countries have registered near-record temperatures over the weekend, including highs of 34C (93.2F) in some places.
- The latest updates came after Finland’s national meteorological institute registered its hottest temperature for June since records began in 1844.
- Lapland’s Kevo recorded a heat of 33.6C (92.5F) on Sunday, the hottest day since 1914 when authorities registered 34.7C (94.5F), said the STT news agency.
- Several parts of Sweden also reported record highs for June. The high temperatures follow the record-breaking heatwave and wildfires that have caused devastation in parts of North America.
- The excessive heatwave has killed 95 people in the US state of Oregon, its governor said on Sunday. Hundreds are believed to have died from the heat in the US north-west and south-western Canada.
- Experts and officials fear that through the coming months the catastrophic conditions, fueled by the climate crisis, will only get worse.
- Michael Reeder, a professor of meteorology in the school of Earth, atmosphere, and environment at Australia’s Monash University said the events on the European and North American continents were linked.
- At a national level, June 2021 was the third-hottest ever recorded in Sweden. And Norway’s meteorological institute registered 34C (93.2F) in Saltdal, a county near the Polar Circle. That is the highest temperature measured in the country this year and an all-time record.
Meanwhile, Canada is battling a string of forest fires in the western province of British Columbia after sweltering under temperatures of up to 49.6C (121.3F), a new national record.
