{"id":36499,"date":"2025-07-01T17:29:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=36499"},"modified":"2025-07-01T17:29:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:29:47","slug":"mediterranean-heatwave-2025-record-water-temperatures-and-threat-of-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/07\/01\/mediterranean-heatwave-2025-record-water-temperatures-and-threat-of-flooding\/","title":{"rendered":"Mediterranean heatwave 2025: Record water temperatures and threat of floods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following generally above-average air temperatures during the first half of 2025, the response of the sea in Europe is particularly significant. The Mediterranean region is facing a historic heatwave with record-breaking water temperatures<\/strong>, one of the most significant marine anomalies observed globally this year. This warming is a continuation of the significantly higher sea temperatures of recent years. The most intense warming<\/strong> was recorded in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, including the Balearic and Tyrrhenian Seas.<\/p>\n

This is how extremely warm sea waters bring serious consequences<\/strong>, especially support for potential severe weather and flooding in the late summer and fall months. High humidity leads to higher dew point temperatures, which means greater amount of convective energy<\/strong> for severe storms and intense rainfall.<\/p>\n

Marine heat waves are often amplified by atmospheric conditions such as high pressure and limited cloud cover. They typically develop under what is called a thermal dome<\/strong>. A heat dome, a dominant feature of summer weather, has contributed to record-breaking heat waves in Europe, the United States and Canada. It occurs when a very warm air mass rises at higher altitudes, acting as a pot lid<\/strong>which traps warm air<\/strong> below it. This leads to anomalous heating and extremely hot conditions near the surface. Thermal domes also strongly affect the seas, where prolonged heat increases the temperature of the water, which cannot cool without significant mixing, leading to heat accumulation and the formation of sea heat waves<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Historically high sea temperatures are evident in the Mediterranean Sea. The western and central Mediterranean are reaching record values for this time of year, with temperatures well above the long-term average since last winter. The most striking anomalies, 5 to more than 6 \u00b0C higher<\/strong>, are observed in the central and western parts of the region. June 2025 has thus record historical values<\/strong>. The absolute highest temperatures are in the Tyrrhenian Sea (27 \u00b0C to almost 29 \u00b0C). Most of the Mediterranean Sea is currently above 25 \u00b0C. The average daily sea surface temperature at the end of June 2025 was almost 3 \u00b0C above the historical average, making it the absolute warmest in the history of measurements<\/strong>The long-term average is around 23\u00b0C, while in 2025 it is almost 26\u00b0C.<\/p>\n

This sea heat wave could lead to significant flooding in late summer and autumn<\/strong>. The analysis suggests that most seas surrounding Europe are well above average, with the Mediterranean Sea being particularly worrying. The warmer the waters, the more extreme, torrential and excessive rainfall can occur. Past events show devastating floods<\/strong> on the coasts of Italy, Spain, the Alps and the western Balkans after hundreds of millimeters of precipitation. The consequences of similar anomalies were particularly severe in 2024 due to the record summer season. Examples of such consequences include:<\/p>\n