Simultaneous episodes of extreme heat and drought could occur earlier and repeatedly in Europe, reports a study published in Communications Earth & Environment.
Laura Suarez-Gutierrez and colleagues investigated how soon end-of-century heat and drought stress could occur in Europe—and the role North Atlantic variability over the decades may play—under a moderate climate scenario that leads to warming of approximately 2.25° Celsius by the end of the century.
The study suggests that there is a greater than 10% chance of two successive years of end-of-century extreme heat occurring by 2050 to 2075, while 5-year long European megadroughts may also occur.