Four dead as Europe endures deadly heatwave
Two individuals died in a wildfire in Catalonia, Spain, while France reported two heatwave-related deaths and 300 hospital admissions.
Italy issued red alerts for 18 cities due to the extreme temperatures, which meteorologists describe as 'exceptional' for their early arrival.
A nuclear reactor unit in Switzerland was shut down and another halved output due to high river water temperatures affecting cooling systems.
Spain and France experienced their hottest Junes on record, with scientists linking such extreme weather to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
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Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Met Office EXPANDS thunderstorm warning for Sunday - with millions more told to prepare for disruption, damage and the risk of power cuts
The Met Office has expanded its Sunday thunderstorm warning - meaning millions more Brits must prepare for disruption, damage, and the risk of power cuts. Earlier, the forecaster had only issued the warning for the East of England, East Midlands, and Yorkshire & Humber. But an updated map reveals London and the South-East must also brace for the extreme weather. Thunderstorms are set to batter parts of the UK on Sunday before a potential third heatwave later in the week, the forecaster said. According to the weather service, there is a mixed forecast for Sunday and Monday before temperatures are expected to climb back into the low 30Cs by the end of next week - raising the possibility of a third heatwave this summer. Parts of East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the East of England are set for heavy rain, lightning and hail on Sunday, which could cause disruption to transport links. The rest of the country is also forecast to experience cooler air, cloud and showery spells for the rest of the weekend and early next week, before temperatures begin to rise again. Marco Petagna, senior meteorologist at the Met Office, said: 'The headline is a changeable theme to the next couple of days and then the weather will become more settled as we go into next week. 'It could well reach heatwave criteria again across England and Wales towards the end of next week. 'In the short term, it's quite a mixed picture. There's a lot of cloud around, and bits and pieces of showery rain around. 'Across the East of England, the weather could turn heavy and thundery and there's a warning out for thunderstorms between 7am to 7pm, because of the unsettled atmosphere. 'We could see an inch or two of rain and several thunderstorms there on Sunday, and that showery scene continues into Monday as well, especially in the north and east of the UK.' The Met Office said the cooler conditions are set to subside, with much of the country seeing more settled weather moving further into next week. And temperatures rising could lead to a third heatwave - a period of three or more consecutive days of temperatures higher than a location-based threshold - this summer. The yellow weather warning will be in effect for 12 hours between 7am and 7pm on Sunday, July 6 But Mr Petagna said it is difficult to predict the duration of the hot weather. He said: 'It looks like we will meet heatwave criteria again by the end of the week. 'The main uncertainty is how warm it does become and how long the increase in temperature lasts for. 'The trend to warmer weather, particularly across England and Wales, certainly looks pretty good going into the week ahead. 'It will start to feel a bit more humid in the week ahead and also night-time temperatures are going to start to pick up, so it's going to become more uncomfortable for sleeping.' Earlier, the Met Office issued a yellow warning alongside a map revealing the areas facing lightning and flooding. The yellow warning was originally only activated for the East of England, East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber. It is in effect for 12 hours between 7am and 7pm on Sunday, July 6. The weather agency also warned that hail, flooding and lightning strikes were possible in these areas that will result in damage to some buildings. Specific areas originally set to be impacted by the adverse weather conditions include Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk, East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire. It is likely that thunderstorms will cause widespread travel disruption with the Met Office saying there is 'a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.' Locals have also been told to expect delays to train services. Parts of eastern England are to expect a downpour of 15-25 millimetres of rain which may lead to flooding of homes and businesses. Power cuts are also said to be 'likely'. The Met Office took to its social media accounts to say: 'Yellow weather warning issued. 'Thunderstorms across parts of eastern England Sunday 0700 – 1900. 'Stay weather aware.' On their website, they went into more detail, explaining that thunderstorms 'may lead to some disruption to travel and outdoor activities.' 'There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus,' the website warned. 'Some flooding of a few homes and businesses possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures. Probably some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes. 'Some short term loss of power and other services is likely,' and finally, 'delays to train services are possible.' It comes after the UK experienced several bouts of hot weather in recent weeks which posed a 'risk to life', according to the weather agency. Sunseekers basked in searing 34.7C in St James's Park, London, on July 1 as the UK saw its hottest day of the year reached. Elsewhere across England, the seaside counties of Essex and Kent well surpassed 33C - a red-hot 34.4C being recorded in Writtle - which also almost nearly broke the hottest-ever July 1 on record. Those temperatures marked the end of a scorching heatwave that saw an amber alert deployed, which the Met Office say signals a 'potential risk to life and property'. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had activated a five-day warning starting on Friday due to concerns that there could be 'a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions'. The amber heat health alert covered the East Midlands, South East, South West and East of England, alongside Somerset - where Glastonbury was roaring ahead. Meanwhile, Europeans were warned to stay indoors as the continent goes on high alert for extreme 47C heat. Indeed, a new Spanish high temperature record for June of 46C was confirmed on June 28 by the AEMET - Spain's state meteorological agency. Forest fires and flash floods wrecked chaos across the continent, with warnings of an intense heatwave. Sweltering infernos melted roads in Italy while raging wildfires tore through Greece. Two-thirds of Portugal were be on high alert last week for extreme heat and forest fires, with 42C expected in the capital Lisbon. It was so hot that Sicily and areas of northern Italy banned outdoor work in the hottest hours of the day. In Nice, on the French Riviera, nearly 250 portable fans were distributed to schools to help students cope with the heat.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Grok uses climate change stats to explain Karoline Leavitt's post about Texas floods
Grok, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence bot on X, summarized a post from the White House Press Secretary about the devastating Texas floods, providing information on how global warming increases the likelihood of extreme weather. On Saturday, Karoline Leavitt re-posted a Truth Social message from President Donald Trump acknowledging the intense flooding that has killed at least 32 people and informing the public that the administration is working with local Texas officials to assist. When asked to summarize the post, Grok said Trump was referencing the tragic July 4 flooding event in Texas but then provided some background information on how climate change is making flooding worse. 'Climate models from the IPCC and NOAA suggest that ignoring climate change could intensify such flooding events in Texas, as warmer air holds more moisture, with peer-reviewed studies (e.g., Trenberth et al., 2018) indicating a 7% increase in atmospheric water vapor per 1°C warming, potentially exacerbating future disasters,' Grok summarized. Since January, the Trump administration has drastically rolled back climate regulations, cut research funding, and essentially eliminated climate programs. Trump has called climate change a 'hoax' and downplayed concerns about severe weather becoming more common and deadly despite science showing otherwise. The administration has made cuts to the National Weather Service, the government agency responsible for monitoring weather events, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the agency tasked with coordinating disaster response and administering recovery efforts. Both NWS and FEMA play major roles in warning people of inclement weather, coordinating a response, and delivering relief to those in need. Yet, Trump has characterized FEMA as an unnecessary federal resource intervening in state-level issues. 'A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can't handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn't be governor,' Trump said last month. The administration also made cuts to the NWS, which led to the departure of nearly 600 employees – hundreds of whom are critical in monitoring weather and issuing warnings to residents. While the agency is hiring new staff to 'stabilize' itself, former NWS directors warned that cutting staff could understaff offices so much so that 'there will be a needless loss of life.' Further cuts to programs that monitor climate and weather patterns, such as the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which produces congressionally mandated reports on how climate change is affecting life, could hinder preparations for extreme weather. Texas officials said, over the weekend, they were unprepared for the amount of rain that flooded nearby rivers and created lethal flash flooding overnight.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Tour de France stage two preview: Classics specialists favourites on punchy finish and could take yellow
The 2025 Tour de France began with a bang on Saturday as Jasper Philipsen emerged from the chaos to win stage 1 and claim the yellow jersey in Lille. It was a wild day, with tension in the peloton ratcheted up by the combination of hectic road furniture in the towns of Normandy and furious crosswinds which swept over open farmland on the route back to the city, the scene of the Grand Depart hours earlier. Several riders hit the deck, most notably Ineos's time-trial king Filippo Ganna, who suffered a suspected concussion and abandoned the race. Then came the winds which Visma-Lease a Bike used to attack, shattering the peloton and costing Jonas Vingegaard 's podium rivals Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic 39 seconds on the leaders. Unfortunately for Visma, race favourite Tadej Pogacar was wise to the move and finished with the reduced bunch at the front. Alpecin-Deceuninck's perfect lead-out train delivered Philipsen to the home straight and the Belgian sprinter did the rest. If riders were hoping for a relaxing stage 2 to recuperate then they may be disappointed: today's stage is the longest of the entire Tour, 209km from the small village of Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer on the northern coast of France. There are four categorised climbs, the latter three condensed into the final 30km, as well as plenty more uncategorised bumps and rises in a leg-sapping finish. The climbs are short - none over 1.1km - but the cat-three Cote du Haut Pichot averages 10.6%, and takes place inside the final 10km, which could be enough to distance the fast men and narrow the field down to a reduced sprint. An enterprising late breakaway could be in with a chance at glory too, with the finish line itself is at the top of an uphill drag. Crosswinds are again likely to be a factor here, particularly towards the end of the stage when the road turns north and runs parallel with the Pas-de-Calais coast. The yellow jersey is expected to change hands in Boulogne-sur-Mer, with Philipsen having his work cut out to keep pace with the puncheurs and breakaway artists in the pack. But then Philipsen is no slouch over hills, and he will have a determined Alpecin-Deceuninck squad in support, so there really is any number of possible outcomes. Unfortunately for the peloton, it promises to be another fascinating day at the Tour de France. Route map and profile Start time Stage two has an earlier start time as there are plenty of kilometres to tick off: 12.35pm local time (11.35am BST). It's expected to finish at 5.20pm local time (4.20pm BST). Prediction Stage two looks tailor-made for the puncheurs of the peloton, or even its more versatile sprinters. Expect the real fast men to be distanced but Jasper Philipsen has got more in the tank to get over climbs than most. Yet this stage has got the name of his teammate, punchy Dutchman and lead-out supremo, Mathieu van der Poel, all over it.
