Heat wave shutters Paris' Eiffel Tower as Europe bakes
Health warnings remained in effect in several European countries. The worst heat was felt in southern Europe, while punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in Paris and to remain unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The abnormally hot weather "is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress" with temperatures in June more typical of July and August, said Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This June is likely to be among the five hottest on record, it said.
People cover themselves from the sun with hats or umbrellas due to record temperatures in Barcelona, Spain, on July 1, 2025. The Fabra Observatory reports that June 2025 is the hottest June in more than 100 years in Barcelona, breaking records since 1914.
Marc Asensio/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Barcelona's Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 78.8 F (26 C), breaking records since records were started in 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 78.08 F (25.6 C), set in 2003.
The same weather station said a single-day high of 100 F (37.8 C) for June was recorded Monday.
Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean in Spain's northeastern corner. But most of the country has been gripped by the extreme heat.
"We are seeing these temperatures because we are experiencing a very intense heat wave that has come early in the summer and that is clearly linked to global warming," Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Pascual added that the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region are not being helped by the rising sea temperatures, which greatly reduce any cooling effects of a nearby body of water. Spain's weather service said recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are between 41-42.8 degrees F (5-6 C) higher than average.
"With water surface temperatures from 26-30 C [78-86 F], it is difficult for our nights to be refreshing," he said.
Spain's national average for June of 74 F (23.6 C) was 33.4 F (0.8 C) hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017. It was also the first time that June was hotter than the average temperatures for both July and August.
Spain also saw a new high mark for June established on Saturday when 114 F (46 C) was recorded in the southern province of Huelva.
The streets were also scorching in Spain's capital, with Madrid forecast to reach 102 F (39 C), as people tried to keep cool by drinking refrigerated drinks and sticking to the shade. But the hot nights offered little relief.
"Today is very bad, but yesterday wasn't any better. So we're just surviving," said Miguel Sopera, 63. "At night it's impossible due to the terrible heat."
France sizzles as Eiffel Tower closes
In France, the national weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit. More than 1,300 schools in the country were partially or fully closed.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday. The operators said the closure was "to ensure everyone's comfort and safety."
It's rare for the Eiffel Tower — open 365 days a year and one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world — to close. The tower briefly closed in February 2024 for six days due to a strike. It also closed for about three months in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its longest closure since World War II.
Tourists cool off in the Trocadero Fountain, in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on July 1, 2025, as temperatures in France are expected to hit a peak today, according to the Meteo France weather agency, with some areas expected to soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
United Kingdom not immune
In England, the Met Office said June's mean temperature of 62.4 F (16.9 C) set a new record for that month, while the U.K. as a whole saw its second warmest June since records began in 1884.
According to the Met Office, the Wimbledon tennis tournament on Monday recorded its hottest opening day ever at 91.2 F (32.9 C).
Italy contends with heat, torrential rain
Farther south, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the health ministry.
There were torrential rains in Italy's north on Monday, and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks.
Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert on Tuesday, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause, but heat was suspected.
People walk under a digital sign showing the current temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Piazza di Spagna, during an ongoing heatwave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees, on July 1, 2025, in Rome, Italy.
Antonio Masiello / Getty Images
How other parts of Europe are faring
In the Dutch town of Soest, first responders said they were bringing a firehose to an early evening water gun fight.
"Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you're guaranteed to get soaked!" the firefighters said in an Instagram post.
The Portuguese weather service issued a statement Monday night confirming the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 115 F (46.6 C) on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon. The prior record was 112 F (44.9 C) in 2017.
Firefighters across Turkey tried to contain wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents for the third consecutive day.
Flames and smoke rise from burning trees and bushes while air and land intervention continues against the fire that broke out in the maquis shrubland and spread rapidly due to the wind in Seferihisar district of Izmir, Turkey, on July 1, 2025.
Lokman Ilhan/Anadolu via Getty Images
Temperatures were expected to reach 98.6 F (37 C) by Wednesday in large parts of the Czech Republic, including the capital.
The Prague zoo distributed up to approximately 22,046 pounds, or 10 metric tons, of ice daily across the park, with special attention given to polar bears native to the Arctic.
Zoo director Miroslav Bobek said twin brother bears Aleut and Gregor looked pleased when they found parts of their open-air enclosure covered with a thick layer of ice Tuesday morning. They rolled on their backs and discovered frozen pieces of squid.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Cyclones, Salinity, and the Fight to Save Farming in Bangladesh
Published by Action Against Hunger. July 3, 2025 New York, NY Please contact [email protected] for inquiries. Bangladesh has been repeatedly battered by cyclones, droughts, tidal surges, and floods, with each disaster leaving a deeper mark than the last on both the landscape and the people who live there. Since May 2024, Bangladesh has been severely impacted by four devastating climate-related disasters, including Cyclone Remal, flash floods in the Haor Region, riverine floods in the Jamuna Basin, and unprecedented floods in the eastern regions. These events have had a catastrophic impact, affecting 18.4 million people. In 2022 alone, over 7.1 million Bangladeshis were displaced due to climate change. Climate disasters in Bangladesh are only expected to worsen. Temperatures are projected to rise rapidly in the coming years, threatening more than 170 million people's homes, safety, and livelihoods. Action Against Hunger is working to build resilience in Satkhira, a district in the south-west region of Bangladesh where most families rely on agriculture to survive — and are struggling to deal with the nature's growing unpredictability. Climate Disasters are Destroying Livelihoods in Satkhira Satkhira borders the Bay of Bengal, one of the most vulnerable areas to increasingly intense and frequent cyclone activity. The region once was thriving with farm fields, but repeated cyclones and tropical storms have mixed saltwater with freshwater, decimating the soil and water sources and making crop farming impossible. The ensuing poverty and food insecurity have forced many farmers to leave their fields. Those who remain struggle with increasing economic and livelihood challenges, as crop yields and availability of arable land dwindle. Khaleda Hossain Moon, an Action Against Hunger expert based in the coastal area of Satkhira, raises awareness about the risks created by changing weather patterns in Bangladesh stating, 'Due to the high salinity of the soil, crop production is very low, and people with low incomes cannot afford to buy food. Thus, many suffer from malnutrition, especially small children.' With no other choice, farmers have abandoned rice cultivation. Men often work as day laborers, leaving their homes for months at a time to find work. At home, women have turned to fish farming to survive, but they frequently suffer from health problems caused by prolonged exposure to highly salty water. With expertise in improving food security around the world, Action Against Hunger was well-suited to step in. We started offering training on climate-smart farming as part of our extensive Food Security and Livelihoods work. The program was developed with an approach tailored to Satkhira's specific needs, harnessing its unique resources for contextualized and sustainable change. Community at the Heart of Climate Resilience Action Against Hunger launched a climate-smart agriculture program in 2021 to support farmers affected by climate disasters in Satkhira. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explains that climate-smart agriculture aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes; adapt and build resilience to climate change; and reduce and/or remove greenhouse gas emissions. In the context of Bangladeshi farming, a climate-smart agriculture program includes adapting to a new environmental context in which flooding and waterlogging [when soil becomes saturated with excess water] is more common, and the soil is increasingly salinized [salty] soil. 'The food security program we launched in Satkhira creates a solution for those communities who remain in these disaster-prone areas,' explains Sumon Homaun Kabir, Action Against Hunger's Program Manager who supervises food security and livelihoods projects in Bangladesh. Action Against Hunger's training goes beyond improving agricultural productivity with sustainable farming methods; it puts the local people and environment at the heart of the program by embedding agroecological principles. Agroecology is 'a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems', says FAO. By incorporating these principles, Action Against Hunger's program is designed to be farmer-centered, regenerative, and nature-based. The methods taught in our program aim to: Programs like these prioritize eco-friendliness and community involvement for long-term results that strengthen community self-resilience. Our goal in Satkhira is to support families adapting to climate change — a deeply stressful experience that threatens their homes, health, and livelihoods — with the best knowledge and resources available. We work alongside local farmers to ensure that solutions are not only technically effective but also culturally relevant, affordable, and owned by the community. Five Key Methods for Farming in Salinized Soil When floods and cyclones soak soil in salty water, the damage is long-lasting. Even after the water recedes, the salt remains, accumulating more and more with each recurring climate disaster. Salt is highly toxic to plants, even being considered the most dangerous substance for rice, Bangladesh's predominant crop. Salinized soil disrupts plant nutrient uptake and causes stress that can damage the plant on the cellular level, reducing crop growth. 'It is very difficult to produce any vegetables because of the water and soil salinity,' says Sumon. 'Action Against Hunger provides technical knowledge to reduce soil salinity and improve soil fertility through agroecological practices.' Here are five agroecological methods Action Against Hunger's program uses for combatting salinized soil in Satkhira: Action Against Hunger teaches program participants how to make and use fertilizer with natural products like manure and compost. The fertilizer helps restore soil health by reintroducing organic matter that supports plant growth and health. Sumon believes that the best results come when traditional practices blend with a scientific approach. 'We don't use chemicals,' he says. 'Instead, we rely on organic fertilizers to preserve soil quality and boost production.' Action Against Hunger opted for training on organic fertilizer because extensive or improper use of chemical fertilizers can degrade soil structure over time and lead to nutrient imbalances. Organic fertilizers are more suitable for Satkhira's farming context because they have microbial benefits that boost the long-term fertility of the soil and can be produced locally. Monoculture farming [the practice of planting only one type of crop] used to be the standard in Satkhira. Farmers would plant exclusively rice, using the harvest to feed their families and sell for income. When climate change brought recurring tidal surges, saltwater intrusion, and unpredictable rainfall, however, rice farming became unreliable. A single crop is particularly vulnerable to total crop failure; a single climate disaster, pest, or disease could wipe out everything. Crop diversification is an alternative method, in which multiple crops are planted at the same time, creating a safeguard against pests and plant disease s. Similarly, crop rotation is when farmers plant different crops from one year to the next. It introduces a greater variety of nutrients into soil, which can result in 10% greater crop yields than monoculture. Action Against Hunger offers training on crop rotation and diversification strategies to open income-generating opportunities and enhance food security. Action Against Hunger encourages the rotation of rice with saline-resilient crops like sunflower, and promotes intercropping vegetables such as okra, spinach, and chili—many of which can withstand moderate salinity and grow in short cycles. This approach is particularly effective in empowering women, who are increasingly involved in homestead gardening and alternative crop production. Training sessions focus on locally adapted techniques, using indigenous knowledge alongside modern agroecological principles. As a result, families can better manage soil salinity, reduce dependency on single-season harvests, and build a more stable livelihood system that is adaptive to Bangladesh's changing climate. In Satkhira, where groundwater is highly saline and unsuitable for irrigation, fresh rainwater is one of the few reliable water sources available to farmers. Rainwater harvesting is an ancient practice that has been used by people around the world to combat water scarcity, and it is ideal for Bangladesh's current environmental context. Action Against Hunger teaches farmers efficient methods for harvesting and using rainwater to best combat water and soil salinity. For example, training is offered on how to dig small ponds or reservoirs on homesteads to collect and store rainwater during the monsoon season. This stored freshwater is then used for irrigation during dry months, enabling year-round vegetable production even in saline-rich environments. Mulching is a powerful method for keeping water trapped in soil, preventing it from evaporating and leaving behind salty, dry soil that harms crops. Mulching is the practice of putting a protective layer over the soil. In Action Against Hunger's program, farmers are trained on how to use mulching to increase crop yields using organic materials like manure. The 2022 study ' Mulching as a Sustainable Water and Soil Saving Practice in Agriculture: A Review ' found that mulching reduces soil deterioration by limiting runoff and soil loss. It helps manage soil temperature for better water retention and reduces the amount of water needed to irrigate crops. Organic materials are prioritized because they are eco-friendly and increase soil nutrients. In the flood-prone area of Satkhira, vertical elevated structures can help protect plants from the onslaught of salt they face on the ground. Action Against Hunger supports farmers in building structures with locally available materials like bamboo, on which they can install hanging containers or raised beds. Not only is this method effective for reducing salt exposure, but it also maximizes land use, making it suitable for small backyard gardens. Rekha's Garden Rekha joined Action Against Hunger's agroecological training in May last year. A wide variety of vegetables now grow around her house. 'I want to grow more vegetables to increase my income,' she says with an enthusiastic smile. 'I already planted seedlings of chili peppers, brinjal (eggplant), tomato, and spinach seeds. I am not leaving any space empty.' Using sustainable, organic techniques, Rekha's garden has become bountiful. She has plant beds rigged with hanging bottles of rainwater to keep her vegetables hydrated. Mulch made with compost from kitchen waste and livestock manure helps Rekha conserve water and preserve soil moisture. Rekha's gardening success inspired her to volunteer with Action Against Hunger and train other women in her village in climate-smart techniques. Her leadership is key to the long-lasting success of the program. Community engagement ensures that Action Against Hunger's training can be integrated with existing knowledge from Bangladesh's centuries of agricultural production and innovation. As time goes on, the passing of peer-to-peer information should become increasingly rooted in local experience and adaptable to climate changes in the region. Beyond the Harvest: Building Financial Safety Nets for Climate Resilience Action Against Hunger's goal is to provide families in Satkhira with as many tools as possible to overcome major setbacks caused by climate disasters. While climate-smart farming can increase the chance of a successful harvest, disasters can still strip away crops and leave families vulnerable to financial and food security difficulties. Livelihood diversification is one strategy for increasing the financial security of households, offering a safety net and an alternative income source. A major success of the program is that all households in Simul Baria, a village in Satkhira, now engage in multiple livelihood activities. These include: Multiple streams of income give farmers in Satkhira a level of insurance against climate disasters. By not relying solely on crop yields, families are better equipped to withstand and recover losses when floods, droughts, or cyclones strike. Diversified livelihoods also bring new skills and opportunities for growth that contribute to long-term resilience. Local Solutions, Lasting Impact Each of the five agroecological methods taught in Action Against Hunger's program is useful for overcoming salinized soil and water. Together, they offer a powerful agricultural approach that can bolster the livelihoods of farmers in Bangladesh for years to come, even in the face of growing climate challenge. As cyclones become more frequent and severe, these practices, as well as livelihood diversification, will become increasingly crucial for families who rely on farming to survive. Action Against Hunger's program uses methods that not only enhance food production in salinized soils but also reduce dependence on external inputs like aid organizations by promoting locally available and eco-friendly solutions—making farming in Satkhira both more sustainable and self-reliant. *** Action Against Hunge r leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Action Against Hunger
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thousands evacuated as Greek, Turkish wildfires rage
Officials on the southern Greek island of Crete evacuated thousands of people from wildfires, while two people died in neighbouring Turkey as fires took hold in the western province of Izmir on Thursday. About 30 kilometres (19 miles) east of Athens, another fire broke out near the port of Rafina on Thursday afternoon, local officials said. Hot dry weather in Greece -- not unusual for this time of year -- has heightened the risk of a repeat of the summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years. Turkey, although spared the recent heatwaves that gripped southern Europe, has battled the effects of a long-term drought likely brought on by climate change. On Crete, about 5,000 people were evacuated after a blaze that broke out on Wednesday evening, the president of the regional hotels' association told AFP on Thursday. Yorgos Tzarakis said that about 3,000 tourists and 2,000 residents had been moved, mostly overnight, as a precaution from areas close to the Crete resort town of Ierapetra, in the southeast. He said that most of the tourists had been evacuated to the north of the island. Vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told Greek broadcaster Mega that officials had ordered the evacuations because water bomber aeroplanes had not been able to reach the affected areas overnight. Strong winds on three active fronts helped the fire progress, said Androulakis, some reaching nine on the Beaufort scale. The inaccessible terrain in Crete, Greece's largest island, has also hampered the work of the firefighters there. - Two dead in Turkey - In Turkey, two wildfires broke out near Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city. In each case, three villages were evacuated. "An elderly, bedridden patient could not be saved," said Salih Uzun, a lawmaker in Izmir for the opposition CHP party, of the blaze close to Odemis. A forest worker in the same area died as he battled the blazes, the country's agriculture minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X. Izmir governor Suleyman Elban said the main problem had been wind speeds of up to 85 kilometres per hour (53 miles per hour) and their constant changes of direction. "So the intervention from both land and air is seriously challenging," he told reporters, adding that the flames had cut off the main highway from Izmir city. Firefighters backed by fire engines and firefighting aircraft were battling the flames, he added. Both fires in the province, as well as others over the weekend and since controlled, had been caused by power cables, he said. Meteorologist Ismail Kucuk, citing forestry ministry figures, told AFP that "90 percent of forest fires" were due to man-made causes. Power cables in particular posed a risk if not properly maintained, he added. The fire near Athens had already burned five or six houses, one local mayor told ERT public television. Fire service spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis said that around 170 firefighters, 17 firefighting planes, 48 fire engines and seven helicopters were fighting the blaze. Firefighters had evacuated 300 people and rescued 51, he added. But their task could be complicated by the higher temperatures and strong winds forecast in the Athens region in the coming days. - High fire risk in July - The risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece, said fire service spokesman Vathrakoyannis. The country recorded its hottest-ever summer in 2024, when 45,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of land burned, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record. Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and more intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkey to take measures to tackle the problem. hec-yap/jj/bc
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Clouds Are Cool, but Have You Ever Seen One Like This?
The dramatic mass moving ashore one afternoon in Portugal this week looked like something out of a movie: dozens of people who had gathered at a beach to escape an oppressive heat wave stared up at the sky as it inched toward them. Was an alien ship about to emerge? Should someone call Jeff Goldblum? But it was a cloud that stopped people in their track — a 'roll cloud,' to be specific, which more typically form from thunderstorms. In this case, the cloud formed at the intersection of the ocean and the land as a cool, moist air mass moving over the Atlantic Ocean collided with dry, hot air over southwestern Portugal, which, like much of Europe, has been sweltering in a weeklong heat wave. The roll cloud is created by a wave in the atmosphere that causes a rising and sinking motion over adjacent areas, allowing the clouds to form and appear to roll forward. You can see that below in an aerial image, where the crest and trough of the cloud are visible and resemble an ocean wave. Sean Waugh, a severe storms expert with the National Severe Storms Laboratory who typically encounters such clouds as thunderstorms move over the Plains in the United States, compared the clouds to what happens when a rock is dropped in a pond. The cloud is just the leading edge of a ripple in the atmosphere. While the cloud in Portugal occurred in the afternoon, it was most likely a 'morning glory,' a specific type of cloud often associated with roll clouds that more commonly occurs after sunrise in the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia. This type of roll cloud can stretch many hundreds of miles long, which is why it was seen up and down much of the central coast of Portugal. The heat wave that has swept Europe this week has led to multiple deaths and helped fuel wildfires in Greece, Turkey and Portugal. High temperatures are expected to spread east in the coming days. Tracking Heat Across Europe See detailed maps of the latest temperature forecasts across Europe.
