Heat waves

Heat wave in Brussels, June 25, 2020.

The June 2026 heat wave in Europe: Same air pattern, much warmer world

Europe didn't get a new climate overnight, but its starting point changed quickly. The same atmospheric pattern that brought heat in the past is now producing much higher temperatures, as the continent has already warmed by about 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Climate model for the Middle East. Credit: Hebrew University of Jerusalem / AI-generated illustration

Climate models reproduce heat waves in the Middle East – but miss the path to them

The heat wave in Israel may actually have started with atmospheric changes occurring thousands of kilometers away. A new study has found that models are successfully reproducing the heat wave – but not always the warning signs that preceded it.
Major Oak, the ancient oak associated with the Robin Hood legends, stands in Sherwood Forest in England

After about a thousand years: "Robin Hood's Tree" in Sherwood Forest is dead

After centuries in the heart of Sherwood Forest, Major Oak has stopped growing leaves. Experts explain how visitor damage to the soil, weakened roots, drought and heatwaves have overwhelmed the oak associated with Robin Hood legends
Powerful storms, floods and droughts. El Niño combined with the Climate crisis are causing extreme results. Illustration: depositphotos.com

El Niño approaches for a warmer world: Scientists warn of heat waves, fires and severe flooding

The development of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean is expected to increase extreme events in the coming months. But researchers emphasize that the climate crisis is the main factor that is intensifying the danger to health, forests, and ecosystems.
Ballot boxes. Natural disasters and extreme events are increasingly disrupting elections around the world. Credit: The Commonwealth Secretariat / Flickr

Climate crisis also threatens democracy: Elections in more than 50 countries have been disrupted by natural disasters

A report by International IDEA found that at least 94 elections and referendums were disrupted between 2006 and 2025 due to floods, fires, heat waves and storms.
Four images illustrating the effects of the climate crisis in Europe: heat, retreating snow and glaciers, fires and abnormal sea temperatures. Credit: WMO / ECMWF / Copernicus Climate Change Service

Europe in 2025: Heat waves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle, peak fires and retreat of snow and glaciers

The ECMWF and WMO European Climate Status Report found that 95% of Europe experienced above-average heat, 70% of rivers flowed below average, and more than 10,000 square kilometers burned.
The increasing heat stress due to the climate crisis is particularly affecting older people. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Global study: Extreme heat is already limiting the ability to live, work, and move safely

A global analysis of temperature and humidity from 1950 to 2024 shows that the number of hours during which heat and humidity limit safe daily activity has increased sharply, especially for those aged 65 and over and in hot, vulnerable areas.
Map of surface temperature in Europe. Source: ESA. From Wikimedia

Same weather, a warmer world – and Europe could pay in human lives

A new study seeks to highlight a point that worries public health experts: Not only is the “average temperature” rising due to the climate crisis, but also extreme weather patterns that have already occurred in the past may return – and when they do
Legionella bacteria. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Legionnaires' disease: How does the climate crisis and warming cities increase the risk of Legionella infections?

Heat waves, high humidity and increasing reliance on cooling towers and air conditioning create a breeding ground for Legionella bacteria, leading to recurrent outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in New York, Ontario and other areas – a serious health threat
Droughts lead to severe water shortages, reduced food supplies and even severe restrictions on electricity consumption. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Without water, there is no future: UN report warns of an era of severe droughts and a global water crisis

A new UN report maps the world's drought hotspots – from Africa and the Panama Canal to the Mediterranean basin – and warns of growing damage to water supplies, food security and economic stability, which is also
High temperatures that could cause damage to runways. Illustration: depositphotos.com

When Wizz Air melted from the heat

Extreme heat waves force airlines to cancel flights, change schedules and face heavy costs. This was one of the reasons why Wizz Air stopped operating in Abu Dhabi. Will there be future
An agricultural field in the Hula Valley. Field crops have replaced the apples that have difficulty growing in the heat. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The heat is rising and the plate is emptying: Climate crisis is reducing agricultural areas worldwide and in the Middle East

New research suggests that the climate crisis threatens to shrink agricultural land around the world, especially in regions near the equator and in the Middle East. If we don't act, the ability to produce food will be severely affected.
Urban forests. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The root of the problem: Trees in cities will save us from the heat

Population and energy consumption continue to rise, CO₂ concentrations remain in the atmosphere for decades, and extreme heat increases. Prof. Haim Kotiel calls for a shift in focus from emissions reduction alone to immediate adaptation: massive tree planting in cities
The price of one etrog may reach 500 shekels. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Etrog in danger: will it be impossible to grow etrog in Israel in the future?

The etrog is currently at risk due to rising global temperatures as part of the climate crisis, and the day may be approaching when we will no longer be able to grow etrogs in Israel – for the first time in 2,500 years.
This map depicts the global temperature anomalies for the meteorological summer in 2023 (June, July and August). It shows how much warmer or cooler different regions of the Earth were compared to the baseline average from 1951 to 1980: NASA Earth Observatory/Lauren Dauphin

Climate crisis dealt a strong blow: Summer 2023 was the warmest ever

This raw data is analyzed using methods that take into account the variable distance between temperature stations around the world and the effects of urban heat islands that may distort the calculations.
A high voltage transmission line in the Israeli electricity grid. Illustration: depositphotos.com

If we don't change direction, these blackouts will only multiply

Opinion: The major power outage we experienced at the beginning of the month could be a preview of what lies ahead for the Israeli electricity sector as heat waves become more frequent due to the worsening climate crisis. The solutions are in our hands, now
A wombat survives a forest fire in Australia. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Extreme climatic events are no longer rare. The result: a real threat to the animal world

Climate change and its devastating impact are well known. However, in the last two years we are increasingly witnessing the threatening consequences of extreme climatic events, as was the case last summer in England when a temperature of 40 degrees was measured for the first time.
The breakup of the ice cover in the Jarlache Strait near Antarctica. Photo: shutterstock

Typical weather for the future

Urban shadow. A significant difference in the feeling of heat. Photo: Sawyer Bengtson on Unsplash.

Heavy thermal load

Omega blockage over Europa on June 30, 2015. The omega-shaped jet stream is artificially highlighted. Severe Weather Europe / EUMETSAT

The reason for the heat wave in Europe: the stuck jet stream

Heat wave. Photo: shutterstock

The danger of hidden thieves