The day the 2003 European heatwave record was broken

On June 28, 2019, a temperature of 45·9°C was recorded at a weather station in France, exceeding the country's previous temperature record—set during the infamous 2003 heatwave—by almost 2°C. The heatwave peaked over central and northern Europe, fuelled by a very persistent planetary-scale Rossby wave (giant meanders in upper-tropospheric winds), which turned into an omega block, so named because its shape resembles the Greek letter (Ω). This blocking event led to hot air from northern Africa being transferred to Europe (figure).