European heatwave leaves Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece in sweltering 40C heat
Major heatwaves across southern Europe have left Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece in sweltering conditions of more than 40C (104F).
Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert for extreme heat and risk of wildfires on Sunday, with temperatures in Lisbon expected to exceed 42C (107F).
In parts of southern Spain, temperatures are well above average, with 42C also expected in Seville and other cities.
The country's meteorological service says June is likely to be the hottest Spain has experienced since records began.
In several Italian regions, including Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia, and Umbria, outdoor work was banned during peak hours of sun on Sunday, with trade unions pushing for the measures to be extended and rolled out nationwide.
Twenty-one out of 27 cities were under the highest possible heat alert, including Rome, Milan, and Naples.
Greece has already been plagued by wildfires this summer, with one breaking out south of Athens on Thursday, and several on the island of Chios last Sunday.
Near Athens, authorities deployed 130 firefighters, 12 helicopters, and 12 planes, with 40 people evacuated from the highest-risk areas.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of unintentional arson after wildfires spread across brush and pastureland for three days on Chios.
Scientists link increasing frequencies of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, wildfires, and storms to climate change.
In France and Germany, at least three people died amid stormy conditions.
A ridge of high pressure above central and western Europe is driving the scorching conditions, says Sky News meteorologist Chris England.
Hotter-than-normal sea temperatures, dry land, and surface winds are also partly to blame, he added.
UK heatwave also likely
The UK is halfway through a four-day amber heat health alert, with temperatures expected to peak in the mid-30s (86F) on Tuesday.
Heat health alerts are not public weather warnings - but are instead designed to prepare health and social care bodies for the potential impact on their infrastructure and vulnerable groups.
Heatwave thresholds are likely to be met on Monday and Tuesday, which vary between 28C (82F) in the south of England and 25C (77F) across the rest of the country.
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BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
How unusual is this UK heatwave and what is the role of climate change?
A second spell of temperatures well over 30C before we've even got to the end of June - how unusual is this and how much is climate change to blame?Temperatures of 34C are possible on Monday or Tuesday in south-east England. They've been triggered by an area of high pressure getting "stuck" over Europe, known as a heat climate scientists are clear that the heat will have inevitably been boosted by our warming climate. Some might say these temperatures feel "just like summer" – and it's true they are a lot cooler than the record 40C and more the UK hit in July it's important to be aware just how unusual mid-thirties temperatures are for the the second half of the 20th Century, one in ten years saw highs of 35C or more, BBC analysis of Met Office data this heat is becoming more common. Between 2015 and 2024, half of the years saw 35C or above. And these temperatures are particularly unusual for June, typically the coolest summer month."Recording 34C in June in the UK is a relatively rare event, with just a handful of days since the 1960s," said Dr Amy Doherty, climate scientist at the Met hottest June day on record was in 1976 at 35.6C. The next years on the list are 2017 with a June high of 34.5C and 2019 with 34.0C. Forecasts suggest that 2025 could break into the top three. And further data from the Met Office also shows that over the decade 2014-2023, days exceeded 32C more than three times as often in the UK as during the 1961-1990 period. Role of climate change It is well-established that climate change is making heatwaves stronger and more humans burn coal, oil and gas and cut down forests, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the gases act like a blanket, causing the planet to heat far humans have caused the planet to heat up by 1.36C above levels of the late 1800s, leading scientists reported earlier this might not sound a lot. But even a small increase in the Earth's average temperature can shift heat extremes to much higher levels."Climate change is an absolute game-changer when it comes to heat in Europe, making heatwaves much more frequent, especially the hottest ones, and more intense," said Dr Friederike Otto, associate professor at Imperial College London. And as climate change continues apace, heatwaves will keep on getting more likely and could reach even higher temperatures."The severity of summer heatwaves, but also extremes of dry as well as wet weather events, will continue to worsen until we rein in our greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise our warming climate," said Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading. Adapting to a warmer world Temperatures in the mid-thirties are more common in other parts of the world of in many cases the UK's infrastructure – from roads and railways to hospitals and care homes – is simply poorly designed for such Climate Change Committee - the government's independent adviser - has warned, for example, that more properties are likely to be at risk of overheating in the decades these risks are not evenly distributed among the population."Air conditioning and other cooling systems become crucial to maintaining health, productivity and quality of life amidst rising temperatures," said Dr Radhika Khosla, associate professor at the University of Oxford"However, access to cooling is unfortunately rarely equal even in developed countries, and the UK's most disadvantaged people will bear the brunt of this heatwave," she so heatwaves like this highlight not only the nature of our changing climate, but also the challenges adapting to it. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gritters used in Bedfordshire to protect roads from heatwave
Gritters have been dispatched to protect roads from damage caused by the summer is expected to be one of the hottest parts of the country, potentially reaching 34C (93.2F), as as a nation-wide heatwave reaches its fourth a Facebook post, Central Bedfordshire Council explained that heat can cause tarmac to soften making roads more susceptible to surface was hoped gritting lorries could spread a fine layer of crushed stone that would protect tarmac and provide more grip for cars. The authority wrote: "You might not expect to see gritters in summer, but it's an important part of looking after our roads during extreme weather conditions."An amber alert has been issued for the East of England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), due to the high means the heat could cause conditions that affect demands on the NHS and potentially cause travel warning is due to remain in place until Wednesday this period the council also said waste collection crews would work earlier in the morning to avoid the heat, it advised residents to leave their bins out the night before. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Spain records highs of 46C and France under alert as Europe swelters in heatwave
A vicious heatwave has engulfed southern Europe, with punishing temperatures that have reached highs of 46C (114.8F) in Spain and placed almost the entirety of mainland France under alert. Extreme heat, made stronger by fossil fuel pollution, has for several days scorched Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece as southern Europe endures its first major heatwave of the summer. The high temperatures have prompted the authorities in several countries to issue new health warnings and scramble firefighters to stop wildfires from breaking out. 'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal,' said António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, from a development conference in Seville on Monday. The southern Spanish city is forecast to roast in more than 40C heat for the next three days and face night-time temperatures of at least 25C until Thursday morning. Doctors have expressed alarm at the combination of hot days and uncomfortably warm nights, which can place a fatal stress on the human body. In Italy, where 21 out of 27 cities were placed on the highest heat alert on Sunday, hospital admissions in some of the hottest regions – such as Tuscany – are up 20%. People have been advised not to venture outside between 11am and 6pm. In France, heat warnings covered nearly the entire mainland for the first time in history. Météo-France has placed 88% of administrative areas under the second-highest orange heat alerts. 'This is unprecedented,' said the ecology minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The French government asked businesses to adapt staff hours to protect workers from the heat, and 200 public schools are to be partly or totally closed on Monday and Tuesday. The first fire of the summer broke out in France in the south-west of the country at the weekend, burning 400 hectares and leading to the precautionary evacuation of more than 100 people. In Spain, which has suffered the worst of the weather, a provisional June temperature record of 46C was set on Saturday afternoon in El Granado in the Andalucían province of Huelva. The highest temperature previously recorded for June was the 45.2C logged in Seville in 1965. Sunday was the hottest 29 June in Spain on record, according to records from Aemet, the Spanish meteorological agency, that stretch back to 1950. The heat is expected to last till Thursday. In Portugal, where seven of 18 regions are under red warnings that carry 'extreme risk', meteorologists expect the weather to cool down on Wednesday night. Countries farther north are also in danger. The German weather service has warned that heat and dry weather are stoking the risk of forest fires, with some cities imposing limits on water extraction as temperatures in parts of the country approach 40C by Wednesday. In Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, the government has urged employers to take the danger to their staff into account. 'Companies are bound by heat protection rules at the workplace,' the regional health minister Britta Müller said, including maintaining an acceptable temperature indoors and guarding against excessive sun exposure. The UK is projected to have temperatures of 34C in London and the south-east of England, with the Met Office warning that high temperatures and humid conditions will be 'quite uncomfortable' for those working outside, as well as people leaving Glastonbury and attending the start of Wimbledon. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Radhika Khosla, an urban climatologist at the University of Oxford, said: 'Populations in urban areas like London are particularly susceptible to extreme heat as the concrete and asphalt absorb and re-emit the sun's radiation, amplifying its impact on our bodies. For this reason, outdoor workers are particularly at risk and should take regular breaks to hydrate in the shade.' Heat kills an estimated half a million people globally each year, with older people and those with chronic illness particularly vulnerable. The extreme temperatures across Europe are the result of a heat dome that is trapping an area of high pressure and hot air. It comes amid an ongoing marine heatwave that has left the Mediterranean 5C hotter than normal, according to data from the University of Maine's climate change institute. Heat domes are 'nothing new' but the temperatures they deliver are, said Dr Michael Byrne, a climate scientist at the University of St Andrews. 'Europe is more than 2C warmer than in preindustrial times, so when a heat dome occurs it drives a hotter heatwave.' Doctors across the continent warned people to take extra care in the hot weather, encouraging them to stay out of the heat, drink lots of water, wear loose clothing, and check in on vulnerable neighbours. Researchers estimate that dangerous temperatures in Europe will kill 8,000 to 80,000 more people by the end of the century, as the lives lost to stronger heat outpace those saved from milder cold. 'The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous,' said Guterres, who called for more action to stop climate change. 'No country is immune.' Additional reporting from Angelique Chrisafis in Paris, Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Deborah Cole in Berlin
