It has been up to 40 degrees hot in countries such as France, Italy and Spain during the month of June.

Temperatures that are unusual to see so early in the summer season, according to Rindegren who says that the heat continues but with fewer degrees.

- It is still really hot in Southern Europe, around 30-35 degrees.

Which is hot, of course, but it's more normal for how it usually is this time of year, says Rindegren in Morgonstudion.  

Heat record during early summer in Europe

In July, the Spanish meteorological authority AEMET reported that Spain had been hit by the hottest early summer in 20 years, which led to, among other things, forest fires.

In northern Italy, drought and the Po river have the lowest water levels in 70 years. 

In Ethiopia and other countries in the Horn of Africa, the drought has led to food shortages and in Asia, temperatures have approached the 50 mark in countries such as India and Pakistan.

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"The earth has become as dry as a desert," says farmer Claudio Boccarelli.

Photo: SVT

But why is it so hot?

According to SVT's meteorologist Tora Tomasdottir, there are several different factors that cause us to get heat waves.

- High pressure over the Mediterranean leads to heat in Southern Europe.

For a long time now, we have also had the La Niña weather regime in the Pacific.

It affects the weather all over the world.

For example, it can be linked to the drought in the countries of the Horn of Africa and the previous heat waves in India and Pakistan.

According to Tomasdottir, climate change also affects the warm weather, but to be sure how much you need to study the heat waves over a longer period of time.  

- It is difficult to connect an individual heat wave to climate change, the climate is the sum of the weather for a longer period.

To say that extreme weather, such as heat waves, are affected by climate change, we need to look at how many heat waves we have had for many years, say thirty, and compare it to a previous thirty-year period when we had a lower global average temperature.

- If we then see a difference and more heat waves, you can make the connection.

But in general we can expect warmer weather from a higher average temperature in the world.

Hear meteorologist Sara Rindegren talk about what the heat will look like in Sweden in the future in the clip at the top of the page

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The United States, Pakistan and Spain are three countries that have been hit by extreme heat.

Photo: Reuters