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(Bloomberg) — Europe is set for a cool start to summer, as wet and breezy conditions extend into June, before giving way to higher temperatures toward the end of the month.

Across the globe, climate change is intensifying extreme weather, bringing violent storms to Texas and deadly heat to India, following 10 consecutive months of record high temperatures. In recent weeks, Europe has been largely spared such events, although Helsinki — the world’s second-most northerly capital — was nearing 30C (86F) this week, in heat more familiar to Mediterranean resorts.

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By the middle of June last year, southeast England was bracing for a hosepipe ban after a spell of dry weather, but this May heavy rains have slowed summer plantings across northwest Europe. Still, there are signs that heat is starting to build in the eastern Mediterranean. Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic have soared to their highest in at least 40 years, suggesting the coming summer will be hotter than usual. 

“Our June forecast is again on average skewed to the warmer side compared to recent history, especially considering the largely warm anomalies in sea waters surrounding the continent,” said Andrew Pedrini, a meteorologist at Atmospheric G2. 

June is a key month for energy traders in Europe as they stockpile fuel for winter. Intense heat waves can quickly deplete gas storage levels as demand for cooling increases, sending prices up.

In Germany — the region’s biggest economy and energy market — there’s a moderate probability that June will end up with warm and dry conditions, according to the country’s weather service Deutscher Wetterdienst.

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Farmers are already casting a wary eye toward summer weather forecasts. In May, heavy rain in the northwest of the region put yields at risk, while dry weather in Ukraine and frosts in Russia forced analysts to cut back production forecasts. Wheat prices in Paris climbed to the highest in a year, with Black Sea crops expected to remain under stress due to lack of rains heading in June.

In the UK, temperatures at the start of the month will probably be around normal or a little above average, with a chance of drier weather toward the second half of the month, according to the country’s Met Office. 

The cooler start to the month across the continent and ample spring rainfall should help maintain river levels and soil moisture over the coming weeks, according to Jason Nicholls, a senior meteorologist at forecaster AccuWeather Inc. 

“It looks like a cool or seasonable start to the month of June for much of Europe with the exception being across southeast Europe and perhaps southern Italy,” he said.

Read More: Europe Set for Unusually Hot Weather in First Blast of Summer

—With assistance from Celia Bergin.

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