Record rainfall overwhelmed northern Europe in 2021. It caused at least 122 deaths in Germany and Belgium, as the BBC reported. The flooding was only one one aspect of an extreme summer with both heatwaves and water damage.
The unexpectedly heavy rainfall "caused rivers to burst their banks," BBC stated. "The German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia were worst hit, but the Netherlands is also badly affected."
(Photo: Rhein-Erft-Kreis via @BezRegKoeln, Twitter)
The district government of Cologne tweeted the following, accompanied by shocking images of a flooded town: "In #Erftstadt-Blessem, houses have been massively washed out and some have collapsed. Several people are missing. Emergency calls are coming in from the houses, but rescue is often not possible. Our disaster relief team is on the scene."
Apart from its extreme rainfall, the summer's extreme heat broke all sorts of records. It saw temperatures that hadn't been seen in nearly a century.
Many countries, such as Canada, faced a summer season with thermometers reaching temperatures that seemed like science fiction.
In a place such as Death Valley, famous for its extreme temperatures, it was most obvious how high the temperatures got in the summer of 2021.
(Photo: De I, Luca Galuzzi)
This national park, located in California, United States, registered the second-highest temperature in the planet's history since there are records: 54.4º C.
Previously, the warmest temperature on record occurred more than a century ago. On July 10, 1913, the thermometers reached 56.7ºC in Death Valley.
However, with the methods of yesteryear, there are more than a few experts who doubt the veracity of the data due to the methods used.
Considering that the experts don't trust the data from 1913, 54.4º C (in 2021) could be the highest temperature in the history of planet Earth.
Temperatures this high are to be taken seriously. Authorities warned people to be careful about exposing themselves to such extreme heat. The Las Vegas Meteorological Service, located just two hours from Death Valley in the neighboring state of Nevada, warned its tourists that “These temperatures are not a joke!"
In Canada, the western provinces of the country took the brunt of the heat wave. The tiny town of Lytton, British Columbia broke records reaching 49,6ºC.
According to reports, 777 people died due to the extreme heat that hit British Columbia between June 25th and July 1st. This isn't surprising as Canadians are not accustomed to such high temperatures, and many homes do not have air conditioners.
Unfortunately for the residents of Lytton, B.C, the high temperatures also brought wildfires that scorched their town. They consumed 90% of the village of 300 residents.
(Photo: CTVNews/Youtube)
Following the extreme heat, firefighters attempted to ward off over 170 wildfires in the province of British Columbia.
According to an article by Global News Canada, the Canadian government and citizens should prepare for more extreme heat in the future.
Global News Canada cited Prairie Climate Center director Ian Mauro from the University of Winnipeg, who said that similar extreme weather events could occur regularly every five to ten years due to global warming. It seems clear that Canadians need to prepare for the extreme to avoid the tragedies that the country experienced last summer.
(Photo: Twitter@ianmauro_PhD)
In Germany, local officials pointed at climate change for an explanation of the extreme flooding. BBC cited the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia's premier Armin Laschet in saying that "We will be faced with such events over and over, and that means we need to speed up climate protection measures... because climate change isn't confined to one state."
The BBC also cited experts in saying that "climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, but linking any single event to global warming is complicated."
