Europe Struggles with Sleepless Nights as Tropical Nights Hit Record Highs

Europe, currently grappling with record-breaking heatwaves, is seeing a sharp rise in nighttime minimum temperatures and a significant increase in tropical nights, according to recent analysis.

According to the British daily Financial Times (FT) on the 11th (local time), an analysis of weather records from June 19 to 30 by Berkeley Earth, a U.S.-based climate change research organization, found that hundreds of weather stations across at least 15 European countries, including those in Northern Europe, recorded their highest-ever nighttime minimum temperatures.

A total of 25 countries set new records for the highest minimum temperatures in June.

In France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, more than half of the weather stations analyzed recorded their highest June minimum temperatures.

In Kubschütz, east of Dresden, Germany, the minimum temperature reached 29.4°C (85°F) on June 27, breaking the country's all-time record for the highest minimum temperature.

In many regional weather stations, previous June records were surpassed by significant margins.

Temperatures were 4.9°C (8.8°F) higher in Pirmasens, Germany; 5.3°C (9.5°F) higher in Saint-Parize-le-Châtel, France; and 4.2°C (7.6°F) higher in Camborne, United Kingdom.

In most parts of Europe, a night is considered a tropical night if the temperature does not drop below 20°C (68°F).

Last month, most regions in France recorded more than seven tropical nights, and the United Kingdom set an all-time record with five consecutive tropical nights.

Mark McCarthy, a science manager at the UK Met Office, stated that while tropical nights were historically very rare across much of the European continent, they are becoming increasingly frequent, adding that "climate projections suggest this trend will continue."

According to a study published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change last month, the average temperature of the ten hottest nights of the year has been rising by 0.32°C (0.58°F) per decade, a faster rate of increase compared to the 0.27°C (0.49°F) rise in the average temperature of the ten hottest days.

While the surge in nighttime temperatures is also occurring in other regions, including Asia, the trend is analyzed to be particularly severe in Europe.

An analysis by the FT of data from the 500 most populous cities, provided by the European Union's climate change monitoring service, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), showed that the cities with the largest increases in nighttime temperatures are concentrated in Southern and Eastern Europe.

In some European cities, the temperature of the hottest nights has risen by more than 0.5°C (0.9°F) every decade.

This rate of increase is more than double the global average.

Naples in Italy, Barcelona in Spain, and Athens in Greece have seen an average increase of about one tropical night per year since the 1970s.

In Milan, Italy, there were about three tropical nights per year in the 1970s, but that figure has now reached about 33 days, while Athens, Greece, experienced over 100 tropical nights in 2024.

Tropical nights have a significant impact on the human body.

To fall into a deep sleep, body temperature needs to drop by about 1°C (1.8°F), but hot nights interfere with this process. Furthermore, heart rate and blood pressure, which should normally decrease at night, remain elevated as the body struggles to cool down.

Dr. Lona Powell, a physician who leads the climate action group Mothers Rise Up, noted that hot nights can cause sleep deprivation, dehydration, and cardiovascular stress, which can exacerbate underlying conditions, especially in the elderly. "During the June heatwave, we saw a surge in life-threatening conditions, particularly on the hottest nights, which made it difficult to respond," she said.

Dominic Royé, a climate scientist at the Galician Institute for High Energy Physics in Spain, pointed out, "If the temperature does not drop at night, the human body loses its chance to recover, so exceptionally hot nights affect mortality rates independently (of daytime heat)."

According to Royé's latest research, extreme nighttime heat is estimated to increase the risk of death by 2.6% globally.

There are also warnings that this eventually leads to a decline in economic productivity.

Kathy Baughman McLeod, CEO of the climate non-profit organization Arsht-Rock, pointed out, "People (suffering from tropical nights) go to work with reduced hand-eye coordination, leading to mistakes that can harm themselves and others."

A study in the UK analyzed that the impact of sleep deprivation caused by high nighttime temperatures on the national economy is equivalent to 0.04% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.