How weather 'blocks' have triggered more extreme heatwaves and floods across Europe

By Tim Woollings, Professor in Physical Climate Science, University of Oxford

On several occasions this summer, Europe’s weather seemed to get itself stuck, leading to prolonged heatwaves and floods. In the UK, a long hot and dry spell throughout May and June gave way to a similarly persistent cool and wet period.

In September, Europe saw widespread flooding in southern Europe while the UK basked in its longest ever September heatwave. These were all the result of “blocked” weather patterns.

So what is blocking – and are events like this here to stay?

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