Europe has broken temperature records already this year, with cities from Berlin to Warsaw recording their warmest ever start to the month.
Temperatures in the German capital reached 16C (60.8F) on New Year’s Day, a January record, national forecaster Deutscher Wetterdienst said on Twitter. In Poland’s biggest city, the mercury surpassed the previous peak by more than 5 degrees. The Czech Republic registered its warmest ever New Year’s Eve.
Europe’s winter heat wave has curbed demand for natural gas, easing pressure on the continent’s fragile energy systems and pushing prices down. In most areas the unseasonably warm weather is set to persist, quelling fears that the region could face rationing and blackouts amid reduced gas supply from Russia.
A total of 75.4 heating-degree days — a measure of the energy needed to heat homes — are expected next week in Europe, according to forecaster Maxar Technologies. That’s below the 10-year average of 79.9 days. European gas prices fell as much as 6.5% on Tuesday, a day after touching their lowest level since before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The return of stronger winds across parts of Europe is also relieving pressure on the market. Germany is expected to produce near-record wind power on Wednesday, according to a Bloomberg model.
Outlook:
- German wind output is expected at 46,405 megawatts at noon on Wednesday, up from a high of 27,631 megawatts at 11pm on Tuesday: Bloomberg model
- A record 48,663MW was set on Feb. 20: EEX
- German solar output on Wednesday is forecast to peak at 2,545 megawatts at noon, compared with a high of 6,271 megawatts at 1pm on Tuesday: Bloomberg model
- A record 38,174 megawatts was reached on July 17: EEX
- In Scandinavia, the forecast has turned colder, with heavy snow expected in the southwest of the region next week
–With assistance from Alan Katz and Josefine Fokuhl.
Photograph: Swimmers in the English Channel in Falmouth, UK, on Jan. 1, 2022. Photo credit: Hugh Hastings/Bloomberg
Topics Europe
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Washington Insurance Commissioner Fines Unite Health, Others $500K for Violations 
State Farm Seeking Large Rate Increases in Wildfire-Prone California 
Cancer Victims Lose Bid to Block Proposed J&J Talc Bankruptcy 
House Collapses Into Flood-Swollen River Near Minnesota Dam Amid Storms 
