BERLIN, Germany (AP) — Last summer was the warmest on record in Europe, according to scientists, with temperatures a full 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the preceding three decades' norm.

        While spring 2021 was cooler than average, the summer months were marked by "severe and long-lasting heatwaves" that saw numerous new temperature records, including an unprecedented 48.8 C (119.8 F) measured in Sicily last August, according to a report released Friday by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

        Last year's extended high temperatures aided wildfires in Siberia, Greece, and Turkey, and scientists think they enhanced the chance of severe rains, such as that which caused devastating flooding in Belgium and Germany last July.

        Last year, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and sections of the Baltic Sea were higher than they had been since at least 1992, with temperatures rising more than 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above average throughout the summer months.

        The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that annual wind speeds in portions of western and central Europe were among the lowest since at least 1979. As a result, the predicted potential for wind power, one of the key renewable energy sources that European countries are counting on to cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, has been reduced.

        The results of the agency are based on observations from ground-based weather stations and satellites dating back to 1950. Depending on the dataset used, 2021 was classified between the 7th and 5th hottest year on record globally, according to the study.