Hottest Ever

This was the hottest summer ever recorded in Luxembourg, according to public weather service Meteolux. Weather data has been collected at Findel since 1947, and average temperatures have never been as high over the summer months. The average temperature reached 20.6C, beating the previous record set in 2003 by 0.1C.

Findel recorded 30 days with maximum temperatures of at least 30C this summer, compared with an average of just seven between 1991 and 2020. "We are more than four times above that level," said Meteolux meteorologist Luca Mathias. There were also eight days when temperatures reached at least 35C.

80 litres deficit

The summer was not only hotter than usual, but also considerably drier. Findel recorded a rainfall deficit of around 80 litres per square metre. Much of the rain that did fall came from localised thunderstorms, meaning some parts of the country were affected by the dry conditions more severely than others.

Asked whether a summer like this remained an exception or was likely to become more common, Mathias said there would always be warmer and cooler years, but summers of this kind were likely to occur more frequently in future. For September, current forecasts point to very little rainfall.