Czech town's summers now rival Mediterranean heat of the past
Summer climate in the Czech town of Strážnice has become similar to that of Mediterranean coastal cities in the 1960s–1990s. By mid-July, the local station had recorded 29 tropical days.
By the third week of July, the meteorological station near Strážnice in the Czech Republic had already recorded 29 tropical days, when the air temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius. A new local record of 39.2 degrees was set in late June, and the first heatwave lasted 14 consecutive days. Between 19 June and 19 July, only eight days failed to reach 30 degrees.
Researchers say this is not just a subjective impression. Long-term data indicate that Strážnice's summer climate now closely resembles that of several Mediterranean cities in the second half of the last century. A comparison of meteorological records from 14 European cities found that Strážnice currently has a similar number of tropical days and similar average summer temperatures to Valencia in Spain, Hvar in Croatia and other Mediterranean coastal locations during the 1961–1990 period. In some of those places, tropical days were even rarer 30 to 60 years ago than they have been in Strážnice this year.
Similar trends appear when comparing average daily temperatures. Although Mediterranean coastal nights are still warmer than in South Moravia, the overall summer temperature has become surprisingly similar. The sea cools the air in many coastal areas, so in cities such as Barcelona summers are not significantly hotter than in Strážnice. Inland cities, by contrast, have always experienced more pronounced heat.
Strážnice was chosen as one of the hottest parts of the Czech Republic outside major urban heat islands. The rate of climate change there is not faster than elsewhere in the country. Climate researcher Pavel Zahradníček told Seznam Zprávy that temperatures are rising fastest in Prague and its surroundings, where urbanisation and the urban heat island effect play a significant role.
