Extreme heat warnings were issued in France and the UK, while on Monday, temperatures in northern Spain reached 43C (109F). Thousands of people have had to leave their homes due to wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. The UK is predicted to see its hottest day ever, while experts predict a “heat apocalypse” in some regions of France.
The national weather agency reported that several regions of France experienced their hottest days ever, with the western city of Nantes recording 42C. More than 24,000 people have had to evacuate due to recent wildfires, and emergency shelters have been set up for them.
Firefighters are struggling to contain blazes that have scorched more than 15,000 hectares (37,066 acres) of land since last Tuesday in Gironde, a well-known tourist area in the southwest. A high of 38.1C was recorded in Suffolk, in eastern England, on Monday, making it one of the warmest days on record for the UK. The highest temperature ever recorded in the nation could be reached on Tuesday, according to forecasters, with a high of 40C. Trains were canceled, and flights at London’s Luton Airport were suspended after a section of the runway gave way under the intense heat.
The Netherlands saw its hottest day of the year on Monday. The town of Westdorpe in the southwest had 33.6C temperatures. Additionally, temperatures are predicted to reach as high as 39C on Tuesday in the southern and central Netherlands. The heatwave is moving north, according to forecasters, and temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius are anticipated soon in Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Over a thousand deaths in Spain and Portugal have recently been related to heat. Portugal saw a record-breaking 47°C high temperature on Thursday. The national meteorological authority IPMA has declared a high fire hazard for the majority of the nation.
Due to human-induced climate change, heat waves are now more common, more powerful, and stay longer. Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.
