Cruel summer: Why temperatures in Europe are soaring past 40°C

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2 days ago

Europe is sweltering under a record-breaking heatwave with temperatures in Spain touching 46 degrees Celsius. Other countries like Italy, Greece and France are also batttling with a severe summer. The mercury is only expected to surge in coming days. Is it the heat dome or climate change? read more
Countries like Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal have already recorded severe heat conditions and persistent heatwaves, pushing both residents and tourists to take shelter. File image/Reuters
Europe is currently in the grip of a fierce and early summer heatwave, with temperatures shooting up to a scorching 46 degrees Celsius in parts of the south.
Countries like Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal have already recorded severe heat conditions, pushing both residents and tourists to take shelter.
The intense heat has already triggered health warnings and fire alerts, with authorities across the region urging people to stay cautious. What's more concerning is that the extreme temperatures are expected to continue into the next week, offering little to no relief.
So, what's happening on the ground, and what's fuelling Europe's record-breaking temperatures?
Ban on outdoor activities, free access to pools
France is experiencing the brunt of the heat.
In Marseille—France's second-largest city—temperatures hit a blistering 41.3 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded in the country during this extreme weather event. To help people cope, local authorities have made public swimming pools free to access, offering some much-needed relief from the Mediterranean heat.
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Italy's summer, once celebrated for its charm, is now defined by stifling heat and unusual restrictions.
Several regions, including Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, and Umbria, are planning to restrict outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day. The soaring temperatures have prompted Italian trade unions to urge the government to extend these protections nationwide.
A woman protects herself from the sun with a fan during a heat wave in Seville, Spain, on Saturday. AFP
Emergency rooms across the country are already feeling the impact. According to Mario Guarino, vice-president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine, there's been around a 10 per cent rise in cases of heatstroke.
'It is mainly elderly people, cancer patients or homeless people, presenting with dehydration, heat stroke, fatigue,' Guarino told The Telegraph.
Hospitals in Naples have also started creating dedicated pathways for heatstroke patients, allowing quicker access to treatments like cold-water immersion, he added.
Wimbledon in the London also witnessed its hottest opening day on record on Monday, possibly breaking the tournament's all-time heat record.
Tennis fans protect themselves from the sun as they queue for tickets on the first day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. AFP
The current opening day high is 29.3 degrees Celsius, set in 2001. The hottest day ever at Wimbledon was 35.7 degrees Celsius on July 1, 2015.
Tourists reel under the heat
On Sunday, Italy's Health Ministry placed 21 out of the 27 monitored cities under its highest-level heat alert, including major tourist destinations like Rome, Milan, and Naples.
In Rome, visitors were spotted gathering near shaded areas around the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and public fountains to cool off in the intense sun.
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'I try not to think about it, but I drink a lot of water and never stay still, because that's when you get sunstroke,' Sriane Mina, an Italian student in Venice, told AFP.
People fill their bottle at a fountain on a hot summer day in Rome, near the Vatican, on Saturday. AFP
Similar scenes unfolded in Milan and Naples, where street vendors offered lemonade to tourists and locals alike, trying to bring some relief from the stifling heat.
'There is no wind, a lot of humidity, we are sweating, and I'm suffocating at night,' said Alejandra Echeverria, a 40-year-old tourist from Mexico visiting Rome, speaking to AFP on Saturday.
In Spain, locals and tourists struggled under soaring temperatures, with the southern city of Seville hitting 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Other areas across southern and central Spain also experienced extreme heat.
Southern parts of the country reported temperatures well above the seasonal average, prompting officials to issue public health alerts and safety advice.
Spain's national meteorological service, Aemet, has said that June is on track to become the hottest on record since official data collection began.
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Wildfire breaks out in Greece as heat rises
As temperatures in Greece climbed close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), a major wildfire broke out south of Athens last week. The blaze forced authorities to close parts of the coastal road that connects the city to Sounion, the site of the ancient Temple of Poseidon—a major tourist attraction.
To battle the flames, Greek officials deployed 130 firefighters, along with 12 planes and 12 helicopters. Police evacuated 40 people, and evacuation orders were issued in five areas.
Flames rise above Thymari, near Athens, after wildfires broke out on Friday. Reuters
Portugal is also under extreme heat pressure. Nearly two-thirds of the country was placed on high alert on Sunday, with temperatures in the capital, Lisbon, expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Officials also warned of a heightened risk of forest fires across the region.
What's behind the severe heatwaves in Europe?
Experts say human-driven climate change is playing a major role in driving the extreme heat sweeping across Europe, especially in urban areas, where temperatures rise even higher due to what's known as the 'urban heat island' effect.
This happens when heat gets trapped between buildings, concrete, and asphalt, making cities significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas.
Emanuela Piervitali, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, explained that heatwaves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and more intense over recent years.
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Experts say human-driven climate change is playing a major role in driving the extreme heat sweeping across Europe, especially in urban areas, where temperatures rise even higher due to what's known as the 'urban heat island' effect. File image/Reuters
'The heat waves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and more intense in recent years, with peaks of 37 degrees [98.6 degrees Fahrenheit] or even more in cities, where the urban heat island effect raises the temperatures even further,' she told The Telegraph.
She also warned that things could get worse in the future. 'A further increase in temperature and heat extremes is expected in the future, so we will have to get used to temperatures with peaks even higher than those we are experiencing now.'
Another factor behind the current heatwave is a high-pressure system known as a 'heat dome.' This weather pattern acts like a lid, trapping hot, dry air over a region and causing temperatures to rise steadily. As this dome moves eastward, it's pulling in hot air from North Africa, making conditions across southern Europe even more severe, reports The New York Times.
A Lancet Public Health study published last year warned that heat-related deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century, particularly in southern countries like Italy, Greece, and Spain.
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Even if world leaders manage to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)—a target set under the Paris Agreement—the study found that the combined yearly death toll from heat and cold could still increase from 4,07,000 today to about 4,50,000 by 2100.
With input from agencies