Europe braces for fifth heatwave as temperatures hit mid-30s in Britain and France
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7 days · 9 summary articles
Europe is bracing for its fifth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures forecast to reach the mid-30s Celsius in parts of Britain and France and spread across much of the continent, according to weather agencies and climate monitors.
The United Kingdom’s Met Office warned on Sunday that another spell of extremely hot weather would spread north across the country, with temperatures hitting the mid-30s Celsius in some areas. Half of England and all of Wales are already in drought, affecting 23 million people under hosepipe bans, with more regions expected to be declared in drought on Monday. France’s Meteo-France issued warnings for temperatures as high as 35°C in the southeast, spreading nationwide between Wednesday and Friday. The agency stated that future summers would generally be hotter due to climate change.
Spain faces temperatures up to 43°C later this week, with tourist hotspots like Cordoba, Sevilla, Granada, and Madrid forecast to reach 40°C or higher. The country is battling three large wildfires in southern Spain, including a blaze in Huelva that has forced the evacuation of around 800 people. Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s emergencies minister, said the fire was “extremely difficult, complex and dangerous,” with no immediate forecast for containment. More than 600 firefighters and 26 water-dropping aircraft are combating the flames, which have enclosed over 20,000 hectares.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that Western Europe experienced its hottest June-July period on record, with an average temperature of 21.62°C, 2.79°C above the 1991-2020 average. Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said persistent high-pressure systems had trapped heat over the region, amplifying drought as dry soils lost their cooling ability. Soil moisture levels are significantly lower than during the last severe drought in July 2022.
Wildfires have scorched over 550,000 hectares across Europe this year, with Bloomberg research estimating 25,000 heat-related deaths in Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In France, a megafire in Gironde burned nearly 42,000 hectares in late July, while Spain’s largest recent wildfire in Avila province near Madrid consumed almost 44,000 hectares. The Rhine, Seine, and Danube rivers are at record-low levels, disrupting water supplies and forcing Hungary and Slovenia to reduce nuclear power plant operations.
Italy’s Health Ministry placed all 27 monitored cities on red alert last Thursday, with Rome, Milan, and Florence forecast to reach 37-38°C this week. Slovakia recorded a national temperature high of 42.2°C, joining Hungary and Austria in setting all-time records. Greece is battling a new wildfire near Athens, the second this summer, with strong winds hindering firefighting efforts. Authorities have evacuated the village of Agios Stylianos as 200 firefighters and aerial units work to contain the blaze.
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☀️ 🌡️ 🌍 Much of Europe is bracing for yet another heatwave following periods of scorching temperatures that have driven rivers to record lows, ignited historic forest fires and contributed to thousands of deaths ➡️ u.afp.com/SHQH
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