The report details the main regional events that defined a year of contrasts in Europe. These include record temperatures, widespread heat stress, widespread flooding, rapidly shrinking glaciers, extreme sea heat and the largest fire ever recorded in the European Union.

The ESOTC report also outlines the ways in which extreme temperatures, severe weather events and precipitation have affected societies, the environment and human health.

The annual assessment, first published in 2017, relies heavily on satellite observations made by EUMETSAT satellites, satellite data products produced and distributed by the EUMETSAT satellite application network and reanalyses of satellite data. (More on eumetsat.int)