Ice cream stood no chance.
The report also found that heatwaves of this scale in our region are now nearly twice as likely as they were just seven years ago.
Without rapid cuts to emissions, further increases are expected.
If global heating continues at its current pace, similar events could occur every two to three years by the end of the century.
Temperatures in parts of Norway and Sweden reached 33–35°C, far exceeding normal seasonal temperatures for Fennoscandia, putting a strain on health services and infrastructure.
A weather station in the Norwegian Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30°C on 13 separate days in July, and Finland experienced three straight weeks of 30°C heat, breaking a fifty-year-old record.
The heatwave led to urgent warnings from reindeer herders that their animals were on the verge of dying from the heat, with some reindeer even seen close to cities in search of shade.
Dr. Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College London, stated:
–This heatwave was relentless. Two weeks of temperatures above 30°C in this region is unusual and, of course, highly concerning.
Forest fires have been rampant this year.
Hospitals in Sweden reported a surge in heat-related admissions, while herders in northern Norway and Finland warned of animals dying as grazing lands dried out.
The heat also made wildfires in central Sweden worse and fuelled toxic algal blooms along the Baltic Sea coast.
The researchers concluded that in a world without climate change, a similar two-week heatwave would be extremely rare. But today, with 1.3°C of global warming, these heatwaves have become at least ten times more likely.