Articles | Volume 23, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1699-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1699-2023
Research article
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08 May 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 08 May 2023

The extremely hot and dry 2018 summer in central and northern Europe from a multi-faceted weather and climate perspective

Efi Rousi, Andreas H. Fink, Lauren S. Andersen, Florian N. Becker, Goratz Beobide-Arsuaga, Marcus Breil, Giacomo Cozzi, Jens Heinke, Lisa Jach, Deborah Niermann, Dragan Petrovic, Andy Richling, Johannes Riebold, Stella Steidl, Laura Suarez-Gutierrez, Jordis S. Tradowsky, Dim Coumou, André Düsterhus, Florian Ellsäßer, Georgios Fragkoulidis, Daniel Gliksman, Dörthe Handorf, Karsten Haustein, Kai Kornhuber, Harald Kunstmann, Joaquim G. Pinto, Kirsten Warrach-Sagi, and Elena Xoplaki

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Cited articles

Allen, R. G., Pruitt, W. O., Wright, J. L., Howell, T. A., Ventura, F., Snyder, R., Itenfisu, D., Steduto, P., Berengena, J., Yrisarry, J. B., Smith, M., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D., Perrier, A., Alves, I., Walter, I., and Elliott, R.: A recommendation on standardized surface resistance for hourly calculation of reference ETo by the FAO56 Penman-Monteith method, Agr. Water Manage., 81, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AGWAT.2005.03.007, 2006. 
Bakke, S. J., Ionita, M., and Tallaksen, L. M.: The 2018 northern European hydrological drought and its drivers in a historical perspective, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5621–5653, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5621-2020, 2020. 
Barriopedro, D., Fischer, E. M., Luterbacher, J., Trigo, R. M., and García-Herrera, R.: The hot summer of 2010: Redrawing the temperature record map of Europe, Science, 332, 220–224, https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIENCE.1201224​​​​​​​, 2011. 
Barriopedro, D., Sousa, P. M., Trigo, R. M., García-Herrera, R., and Ramos, A. M.: The exceptional Iberian heatwave of summer 2018, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 101, S29–S34, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0159.1, 2020. 
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I agree with the handling editor and suggest considering it as a highlight paper.
Short summary
The objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive, multi-faceted analysis of the 2018 extreme summer in terms of heat and drought in central and northern Europe, with a particular focus on Germany. A combination of favorable large-scale conditions and locally dry soils were related with the intensity and persistence of the events. We also showed that such extremes have become more likely due to anthropogenic climate change and might occur almost every year under +2 °C of global warming.
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