Peter Clack

The summer heatwave gripping southern Europe right now is nothing new — it's an ancient, recurring weather pattern. Media coverage has largely failed to explain what's actually happening. This is a commonplace event with a long history. The classic name for these hot winds (and the associated air masses) blowing northward from the Sahara Desert across the Mediterranean into southern Europe is the Sirocco. It transports warm, dry — and often dusty — air from North Africa. As it crosses the sea, the air picks up moisture, arriving as humid, oppressive conditions over Italy, Spain, Malta, southern France and beyond. Sirocco winds can reach strong or even gale-force speeds. While most common in spring and autumn, they occur in summer too. Effects include Saharan dust outbreaks that can turn skies reddish, produce 'blood rain', spike temperatures, and create discomfort. These events are frequently accompanied by a broad African anticyclone (or 'African heat dome') — a large high-pressure system that pushes hot air northward, driving wider European heatwaves. Saharan dust outbreaks and the Saharan air layer often ride along, carrying fine particles far north and contributing to hazy skies. Far from unusual, these are well-known drivers of summer extremes in the region — as the attached Copernicus image clearly shows with the prominent dust plume streaming toward Italy and beyond.

The summer heatwave gripping southern Europe right now is nothing new — it's an ancient, recurring weather pattern. Media coverage has largely failed to explain what's actually happening. This is a commonplace event with a long history. The classic name for these hot winds (and the associated air masses) blowing northward from the Sahara Desert across the Mediterranean into southern Europe is the Sirocco. It transports warm, dry — and often dusty — air from North Africa. As it crosses the sea, the air picks up moisture, arriving as humid, oppressive conditions over Italy, Spain, Malta, southern France and beyond. Sirocco winds can reach strong or even gale-force speeds. While most common in spring and autumn, they occur in summer too. Effects include Saharan dust outbreaks that can turn skies reddish, produce 'blood rain', spike temperatures, and create discomfort. These events are frequently accompanied by a broad African anticyclone (or 'African heat dome') — a large high-pressure system that pushes hot air northward, driving wider European heatwaves. Saharan dust outbreaks and the Saharan air layer often ride along, carrying fine particles far north and contributing to hazy skies. Far from unusual, these are well-known drivers of summer extremes in the region — as the attached Copernicus image clearly shows with the prominent dust plume streaming toward Italy and beyond.

The summer heatwave gripping southern Europe right now is nothing new — it's an ancient, recurring weather pattern. Media coverage has largely failed to explain what's actually happening. This is a commonplace event with a long history. The classic name for these hot winds (and the associated air masses) blowing northward from the Sahara Desert across the Mediterranean into southern Europe is the Sirocco. It transports warm, dry — and often dusty — air from North Africa. As it crosses the sea, the air picks up moisture, arriving as humid, oppressive conditions over Italy, Spain, Malta, southern France and beyond. Sirocco winds can reach strong or even gale-force speeds. While most common in spring and autumn, they occur in summer too. Effects include Saharan dust outbreaks that can turn skies reddish, produce 'blood rain', spike temperatures, and create discomfort. These events are frequently accompanied by a broad African anticyclone (or 'African heat dome') — a large high-pressure system that pushes hot air northward, driving wider European heatwaves. Saharan dust outbreaks and the Saharan air layer often ride along, carrying fine particles far north and contributing to hazy skies. Far from unusual, these are well-known drivers of summer extremes in the region — as the attached Copernicus image clearly shows with the prominent dust plume streaming toward Italy and beyond.

🚨‼️Europa brennt.‼️🚨 Ich verstehe ehrlich gesagt nicht, warum der Klimawandel nicht längst die höchste Priorität aller politischen Entscheidungsträger hat. Die Warnzeichen sind unübersehbar. So kann es nicht dauerhaft weitergehen. 🧵