The cold weather over the northern and western Japan during the New Year's holiday season has made the wind feel colder than usual, even in the Kanto region, where sunny days continue. North America was also hit by a cold wave over the Christmas vacations, reportedly resulting in many casualties. On the other hand, Europe seems to have experienced the warmest weather on record during the year-end and New Year holidays.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a high-pressure zone in the Mediterranean and an Atlantic low-pressure system induced a strong south-west flux that brought warm air from northwest Africa into mid-latitude areas. Also, as the air passed over the North Atlantic, it was warmed to sea surface temperatures 1-2°C above normal. As a result, many parts of Europe had record warm New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, with temperatures reaching nearly 20°C (68°F). In some cases, ski resorts were unable to operate due to insufficient snowfall in the Alps.

According to the 2021 Europe State of Climate Report, WMO, temperatures in Europe rose an average of 0.5°C per decade over the 1991-2021 period. This is reportedly twice as fast as the global average. Even with La Niña conditions, 2022 is still likely to be the 5th or 6th warmest year on record globally.

Although scientific verification will be conducted to determine the probability that the record high temperatures in Europe are due to climate change, it is not difficult to imagine that the experience of weather phenomena out of the ordinary will contribute to increased awareness of climate change countermeasures.

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)