Heatwave in western Europe

An intense, early heatwave is baking western Europe, with temperatures in many places topping 40°C on Saturday 18 June. This image, produced using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission, shows the land surface temperature across western Europe and part of Algeria. 

The map was generated by using the mission’s Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer instrument. While weather forecasts use predicted air temperatures, this satellite instrument measures the real amount of energy radiating from Earth. Therefore, the map shows the actual temperature of the land’s surface pictured here, which is usually significantly hotter than air temperatures.

The Sentinel-3 mission was able to obtain an accurate measurement of the land surface temperature of the ground, which exceeded 50°C in many areas, especially in Spain. For more information on the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission, click here.