Large wide-angle image.
The intense heat and dry conditions set the stage for several dangerous wildfires that were sparked in parts of Norway and Sweden.
One blaze that charred forests in southern Norway became the largest in the country’s history. The fire blackened 7,300 acres (3,000 hectares) before long-awaited rains helped firefighters bring it under control.
The Aftenposten reports that as many as 20 holiday cabins were destroyed as well.
The image to the right compares the average daily temperature in early June 2008 with longer term June averages from 2000 to 2007.
Areas that were warmer than average appear in shades of red, with the darkest reds highlighting areas that had temperatures that were the highest above normal. Cooler-than-average conditions are shown in blue.
Expansive areas of dark red are evident in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and parts of Germany and Poland. In some of those areas, temperatures well more than 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) above normal for the period.
In contrast, Spain and the northeastern Mediterranean coast experienced weather than was equally cooler than normal.
