2022, in Italy was the hottest year in history according to the Cnr

2022, we will also remember it for being the hottest year ever in Italy. In fact, the CNR confirms that the temperatures, both maximum and average, have been the highest since 1800. And it’s all the fault of the climate change. We are also experiencing it in this month of December, with much milder temperatures than usual. We are getting used to having days with anomalous temperatures throughout the year, which follow the natural cycle of the seasons less and less.

The announcement of the CNR

2022 wins a sad record: it is the hottest year ever in Italy. This was explained by Bernardo Gozzini, director of the Lamma-Cnr Consortium. What is about to end is the hottest year in terms of both maximum and average temperatures. The minimum temperatures, on the other hand, remain a record from 2018, which is currently in second place in the ranking of the hottest years ever in Italy. On a global scale, 2016 is the warmest year, followed by 2020 and from 2019, while 2022 ranks fifth globally and third in Europe. However, these are not very reassuring results, given that the hottest years are concentrated in the most recent period. In 2022 the temperature increase was on average 0.96 °C compared to the average of the thirty years 1990-2022. The largest increase was for maximum temperatures, which are 1.2°C higher on average.

The 2022 climate balance in Italy

Italy is tropicalizing due to the global warming. Proof of this are the exceptionally high summer temperatures over most of the country and the episodes of drought, which also affected the Po in 2022, and we talked about it here. The heat is negatively affecting the Italian agricultural system, causing a drop in productivity. They also suffer more and more animals and ecosystems, threatened by fires increasingly frequent. The rainfall continues to be short but very intense, causing damage to cities and the population. In the next few years the temperature, unless action is taken to drastically lower the emissionsis still set to increase.

How have temperatures changed in 2022?

In 2022 we had the hottest July ever in Italy. Compared to the thirty years between 1990 and 2020, the maximum temperature rose by an average of 2.62 °C. The greatest increase, equal to 4-5 °C, concerned the northern regions. The increase in the maximum temperature was, on average, 3.28 °C in the northern regions, 2.83 °C in the central regions and finally 2.19 in the southern regions. Even for the next few days, higher temperatures than the average for the period are expected. But we are already experiencing it during the holidays, which offer us almost spring-like climates, while the USA is grappling with a polar storm, which we talked about here. This is precisely one of the greatest paradoxes of climate change.

What climate do we expect in 2023?

We are experiencing a climatic situation never seen before, especially in summer, with extreme heat waves and practically no rain. And as is easily imaginable, the situation is not going to change. The years ahead will most likely be hotter and hotter. The temperatures of 2023 could be even more record-breaking, exacerbating the water crisis we have already experienced and bringing us new extreme events. 2023 will therefore be the tenth consecutive year in which thermal anomalies will be recorded. The cause certainly lies in the aggravation of the climate change. It is also weakening La Niña, which is a natural phase of a climate cycle, affecting the climate around the planet by helping to offset global warming.

Why are hot and cold connected?

The unusual temperatures that are being recorded in this period can be easily explained. Let’s start with the phenomenon of jet stream or jet stream. This is a high-velocity flow of air that occurs near the upper limit of the troposphere, at 9-12 kilometers altitude, causing thermal gradients between the poles and the equator. Jet streams circulate from west to east across the planet and affect its climate. They are more intense in winter for both hemispheres and tend to shift and break depending on the season. In winter they tend to move along the equator, while in spring they locate near the poles. In fact, jet streams are formed by the interaction of two factors: the action of Coriolis force and solar radiation.

What happens with climate change?

Jet streams are an absolutely natural phenomenon, but their intensity is influenced by the ongoing climate change. For this reason, while we are witnessing higher temperatures than usual in Italy, a wave of frost is occurring in the USA. In fact, the alteration of the current distributes the high and low pressure zones differently. While cold air arrives in the USA from the polar region, air of North African origin is drawn into the Mediterranean area. In fact, with global warming, the thermal gradient that drives the jet streams weakens, which therefore become weaker. That is why we witness phenomena like lo melting glaciers or anomalous climatic situations such as those currently occurring.