Last year was the second-warmest on record in Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service for the EU. It was exceeded only by 2020, which was 0.3°C warmer than last year.
All of Europe, with the exception of Iceland, saw annual temperatures above the 1991 to 2020 average.
Temperatures were most above average in the western part of the continent, where several countries saw their warmest years on record, while most others saw annual temperatures in the top three rankings.
Summer heatwave
Driving the annual temperature spike, summer 2022 was the hottest on record for Europe.
The continent’s summer exceeded its previous temperature record set in 2021 and several prolonged and intense heatwaves affected parts of western and northern Europe.
Autumn was the third-warmest on record, only beaten by 2020 and 2006, while winter temperatures were around 1°C above average.
Conversely, spring temperatures for Europe as a whole were just below the average of the 1991 to 2020 reference period.
There were a number of harvest fires in the drought conditions experienced in Ireland last summer.
In terms of monthly averages temperatures, nine months were above average, while March, April and September were below average.
The continent experienced its second-warmest June ever recorded at about 1.6°C above average and its warmest October, with temperatures nearly 2°C above average.
Global temperatures
Globally, during 2022, the world experienced its fifth-warmest year on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service dataset.
So far, the hottest years on record globally are 2016, 2020, 2019 and 2017 respectively.
The annual average temperature was 0.3°C above the reference period of 1991 to 2020, which equates to approximately 1.2°C higher than the period 1850 to 1900, typically used as a proxy for the pre-industrial era.
This makes 2022 the eighth year in a row with temperatures more than 1°C above the pre-industrial level.
In 2022, temperatures were more than 2°C above the 1991 to 2020 average over parts of northern central Siberia and along the Antarctic peninsula.
The regions that saw the warmest year on record include large parts of western Europe, the Middle East, central Asia and China, South Korea, New Zealand, northwestern Africa and the Horn of Africa.
"2022 was yet another year of climate extremes across Europe and globally. These events highlight that we are already experiencing the devastating consequences of our warming world,” said Copernicus Climate Change Service deputy director Samantha Burgess.
Read more
Chaotic weather disrupts global agri-food supply in 2022
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Last year was the second-warmest on record in Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service for the EU. It was exceeded only by 2020, which was 0.3°C warmer than last year.
All of Europe, with the exception of Iceland, saw annual temperatures above the 1991 to 2020 average.
Temperatures were most above average in the western part of the continent, where several countries saw their warmest years on record, while most others saw annual temperatures in the top three rankings.
Summer heatwave
Driving the annual temperature spike, summer 2022 was the hottest on record for Europe.
The continent’s summer exceeded its previous temperature record set in 2021 and several prolonged and intense heatwaves affected parts of western and northern Europe.
Autumn was the third-warmest on record, only beaten by 2020 and 2006, while winter temperatures were around 1°C above average.
Conversely, spring temperatures for Europe as a whole were just below the average of the 1991 to 2020 reference period.
There were a number of harvest fires in the drought conditions experienced in Ireland last summer.
In terms of monthly averages temperatures, nine months were above average, while March, April and September were below average.
The continent experienced its second-warmest June ever recorded at about 1.6°C above average and its warmest October, with temperatures nearly 2°C above average.
Global temperatures
Globally, during 2022, the world experienced its fifth-warmest year on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service dataset.
So far, the hottest years on record globally are 2016, 2020, 2019 and 2017 respectively.
The annual average temperature was 0.3°C above the reference period of 1991 to 2020, which equates to approximately 1.2°C higher than the period 1850 to 1900, typically used as a proxy for the pre-industrial era.
This makes 2022 the eighth year in a row with temperatures more than 1°C above the pre-industrial level.
In 2022, temperatures were more than 2°C above the 1991 to 2020 average over parts of northern central Siberia and along the Antarctic peninsula.
The regions that saw the warmest year on record include large parts of western Europe, the Middle East, central Asia and China, South Korea, New Zealand, northwestern Africa and the Horn of Africa.
"2022 was yet another year of climate extremes across Europe and globally. These events highlight that we are already experiencing the devastating consequences of our warming world,” said Copernicus Climate Change Service deputy director Samantha Burgess.
Read more
Chaotic weather disrupts global agri-food supply in 2022
Europe’s hottest summer takes toll on agriculture
Farm fires in heatwave harvest
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