- Dec 29, 2008
- 19,672
- 4,729
- 280
LONDON/BRUSSELS, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Record-high winter temperatures swept across parts of Europe over the new year, bringing calls from activists for faster action against climate change while offering short-term respite to governments struggling with high gas prices.
Hundreds of sites have seen temperature records smashed in the past days, from Switzerland to Poland to Hungary, which registered its warmest Christmas Eve in Budapest and saw temperatures climb to 18.9 degrees Celsius (66.02°F) on Jan. 1.
In France, where the night of Dec. 30-31 was the warmest since records began, temperatures climbed to nearly 25C in the southwest on New Year's Day while normally bustling European ski resorts were deserted due to a lack of snow.
The Weather Service in Germany, where temperatures of over 20C were recorded, said such a mild turn of the year had not been observed in the country since records began in 1881.
Czech Television reported some trees were starting to flower in private gardens while Switzerland's office of Meteorology and Climatology issued a pollen warning to allergy sufferers from early blooming hazel plants.
The temperature hit 25.1C at Bilbao airport in Spain's Basque country. People basked in the sun as they sat outside Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum or walked along the River Nervion.
"It always rains a lot here, it's very cold, and it's January, (but now) it feels like summer," said Bilbao resident Eusebio Folgeira, 81.
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/TBM6T4PBUNMKJAUO3TUDNQQDJ4.jpg)
www.reuters.com
Will Purin threaten to nuke Mother Nature next?
Hundreds of sites have seen temperature records smashed in the past days, from Switzerland to Poland to Hungary, which registered its warmest Christmas Eve in Budapest and saw temperatures climb to 18.9 degrees Celsius (66.02°F) on Jan. 1.
In France, where the night of Dec. 30-31 was the warmest since records began, temperatures climbed to nearly 25C in the southwest on New Year's Day while normally bustling European ski resorts were deserted due to a lack of snow.
The Weather Service in Germany, where temperatures of over 20C were recorded, said such a mild turn of the year had not been observed in the country since records began in 1881.
Czech Television reported some trees were starting to flower in private gardens while Switzerland's office of Meteorology and Climatology issued a pollen warning to allergy sufferers from early blooming hazel plants.
The temperature hit 25.1C at Bilbao airport in Spain's Basque country. People basked in the sun as they sat outside Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum or walked along the River Nervion.
"It always rains a lot here, it's very cold, and it's January, (but now) it feels like summer," said Bilbao resident Eusebio Folgeira, 81.
'Feels like summer': Warm winter breaks temperature records in Europe
Record-high winter temperatures swept across parts of Europe over the new year, bringing calls from activists for faster action against climate change while offering short-term respite to governments struggling with high gas prices.
www.reuters.com
Will Purin threaten to nuke Mother Nature next?
