Hungary will see record heat this summer, but the worst is yet to come

Since measurements began in 1901, 2022 was the hottest year in Hungary. And it does not stop here, unfortunately. A strong El Niño is expected this year. El Niño is a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather worldwide. El Niño could lead to a hotter-than-normal summer already this year. However, the bomb is expected to explode in 2024 – and it will not spare Hungary.

El Niño is bringing drought and extreme heat to the globe – and Hungary

Parts of the world will experience a brutal drought. Europe, and Hungary in it, will be hit by heat and stifling humidity. The average temperature of the Earth could rise by well over 1.5 degrees Celsius, 24.hu warns. A “hot summer” is no longer just about sweating more than usual for a few days or weeks. In Hungary, too, heat waves now regularly exceed the level that is healthy for the human body. In fact, the heat is indirectly causing the premature deaths of thousands of people.

And if we look at the statistics, the number of heatwaves is increasing, while summers are also getting hotter overall. For example, 2022 was the hottest in Hungary since records began in 1901.

2023 will be exceptionally hot – but 2024 will be even hotter

Kiderül.hu meteorologist László Molnár also expects an extremely hot summer and believes that 2024 will be even hotter. According to Mr Molnár, The year 2024 could be 1.5-1.7 degrees Celsius warmer than average. The previous record was 1.35 degrees Celsius in 2016.

Europe is expected to have warmer than average temperatures and more wet and humid weather. The summer will end with a stormy August, followed by a mild autumn and a much wetter than usual winter. The same is true for Hungary as well: a humid, hot, stormy summer, followed by a mild, rainy winter with up to 20 percent more rainfall than usual.

In conclusion, László Molnár underlines that we are at the gateway to a historic event. El Niño is expected to be officially “born” within a month, and it will be fast-rising as we start from a higher global baseline temperature.