Record-breaking heat sweeps Latvia in early September

RIGA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — This September in Latvia has started with unusually high temperatures, with 26 new records set over the past few days, according to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center.
According to data collected from weather monitoring stations, seven all-time highs were recorded on Sept. 3, with temperatures reaching 29.1 Celsius degrees in Skriversi and 29.4 degrees in Bauska. Record highs were also detected in Daugavpils, Gulbene, Madona, and Jekabpils.
Wednesday has become the hottest sept. 4 in the history of meteorological observations in Latvia, with the temperature in Bauska, a town 66 km from the capital city of Riga, reaching 30 Celsius degrees.
The previous hottest Sept. 4 on record was in 2002, when the temperature in Liepaja in western Latvia reached 28.9 Celsius degrees.
Latvia has also been slammed by extreme weather events over the past summer. At the end of July, Cyclone Kirsti hit the central region of Latvia, including Riga. The storm uprooted trees, flooded streets and basements and disrupted traffic.
Historically, meteorological summer, or persistent summer weather, in Latvia usually ends in late August, but in 2023, it was one month longer until Oct. 4. Last September also saw an average air temperature of 15.8 Celsius degrees, 3.5 degrees above normal.
Long-term forecasts suggest that the meteorological summer in Latvia could last until the middle of September this year. ■