London Could Feel as Hot as Barcelona by 2050

A major climate change study has found that London's weather could feel more like Barcelona's by 2050. Even though this might sound like a dream at first to Londoners, the change could turn into a nightmare as it would be accompanied by stretches of severe drought as well as heavier downpours in the wet months, potentially challenging many aspects of life in the city.

The research focused on 520 major cities and was published in the journal Plos One. Its most concerning finding was that residents in around a fifth of all cities including Jakarta, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur will experience climate conditions that have never been seen in any major city before.

By 2050, it is forecast that Madrid will feel like Iran's Tehran, Helsinki will feel more like Budapest, Seattle will feel like Rome and New York's climate will resemble Virginia Beach's more closely. The increase in average summer temperatures was just one factor the climate change researchers looked at for their city comparisons. It will be one of the highest in Austria's capital Vienna, with summer temperatures 7.6° Celsius higher by 2050 and the climate more closely resembling Skopje, North Macedonia. Berlin and Paris would be expected to see their hottest month grow more than 6° Celsius hotter on average and their climates turn into those today experienced in Canberra, Australia, and Istanbul, Turkey, respectively.