Europe Heatwave: fire and health warnings issued across continent
Near Turkey's popular western Aegean coast, hundreds of rescue workers have spent a second day fighting flames in searing heat and strong winds.
Those winds are creating extreme fire risks in Greece and alerts have been issued in France, Italy and Portugal.
Temperatures in Spain have broken June records with 46 celcius recorded near the border with Portugal.
Here, 33.1 Celsius was recorded at Heathrow Airport in west London.
Frances Read reports.
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Europe's heat wave creates dangerous conditions, shutters Eiffel Tower
The blistering temperatures caused one of the world's most popular tourist attractions, the Eiffel Tower, to close its top floor, shorten its hours and turn away visitors who don't have advanced tickets. In Belgium, where temperatures reached the high 90s, officials closed the Atomium attraction, a model of an iron molecule built for the 1959 Brussels World's Fair. It is only the second time the model changed hours because of heat. The first was in 2019. Italy, meanwhile, issued heat wave red alerts across 17 cities, including Milan and Rome. Several regions of the Mediterranean country banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day. The extreme heat across the western Europe is the result of a heat dome. That's a common summer weather pattern that produces high pressure and acts as a cap, locking heat in underneath, France's weather service said. Parts of Europe set heat records The scorching temperatures come as Spain, Portugal and England recorded their hottest June last month. The average temperature in Spain was 78 degrees Fahrenheit in June. On June 30, it rose to about 100 degrees, according to the country's weather service. Those highs are "exceptional" the World Meteorological Organization said in an online forecast. Europe typically experiences its hottest temperatures of the year in July. The organization cites human-induced climate change as a reason for the extreme heat. More than two thirds of the continent's most severe heatwaves since 1950 have occurred in the last 25 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization. By 2050, it expects "half of the European population may be exposed to high or very high risk of heat stress during summer." The agency said the punishing temperatures could cause severe, potentially life threatening, effects on human health. And many people can't seek shelter from the heat at home: As of 2019, only 20% of households in Europe had air conditioning installed, according to the European Environment Agency. Western US sees scorching temps Parts of the United States are also being gripped by higher-than-normal temperatures. The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for parts of southwest Arizona and southeast California until 8 p.m. on July 1. Afternoon highs could reach between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit in these regions, according to the agency Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah are all expected to see temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather service issued heat advisories through the evening of July 2 for much of those states, warning people to take extra precautions when outside. The agency also issued a red flag warning for much of northern California and north-central Nevada, meaning that "critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly." These can include a "combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior." "Heat will build over the Intermountain West and the Southwest the next couple of days," the National Weather Service said in an online forecast on June 30. "Lightning from dry thunderstorms can create new fire starts and combined with gusty winds may cause a fire to rapidly grow in Oregon and northern California." Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; Reuters
ITV News
11 hours ago
- ITV News
How Wales is preparing for their Euro 2025 debut in Switzerland
The excitement is palpable in the Wales camp. As we arrived at their Swiss training base of Weinfelden, about an hour's drive north west of Zurich, we were each greeted with a gift. It was, of course, a bucket hat - coloured red, yellow and green - that unmistakable emblem of Welsh football. The team has carried them to Switzerland in bulk, ready to distribute to travelling fans ahead of their Euros group matches. If this heatwave continues, they might well come in handy! As team Wales warm up - in all senses of the word - for their first ever Euros tournament, they know the sweltering temperatures are far from the biggest challenge they will face on the pitch. As debutants, they have been drawn in the so-called 'group of death'. Their first two games will see them up against the Netherlands and then France - both serious title contenders - before they face reigning European champions England. Thirtieth in the world, Wales are the lowest ranked side competing at the Euros this summer. Reaching the knockout stages will be very tough, but that is where this team believes it belongs. Speaking at their first press conference today, the players reiterated that they are not here simply to make up numbers. Rhian Wilkinson's side want to cause some disruption at their first major tournament, and show the world what they can do. Striker Elise Hughes, who plays for WSL side Crystal Palace, said her team was excited to play. 'It's a Wales thing to be an underdog and you we're relishing in that that opportunity," she said. "And you know we want to come here and play in the biggest games, and our group is allowing us to do that, and we'll be more than ready." The players hope to emulate the success of their male counterparts, whose fairytale run to the semi-finals of the Euros in 2016 has gone down in Welsh sporting history. They say they are settling well into their Swiss base camp. 'Where we are staying is very Welsh scenery', said Hughes. 'We feel right at home here.' They won't be getting too comfy just yet, though. They took part in a training session on Tuesday morning, knowing every single moment of preparation will count. Their tournament kicks off on Saturday against previous champions The Netherlands. Despite all the pressure, this is a team determined to enjoy a moment both the players and the country have waited so very long for. So far, insists midfielder Rachel Rowe, 'we are keeping the nerves at bay'.
ITV News
14 hours ago
- ITV News
Record-breaking temperatures as Europe swelters under heat dome
Temperature records have been broken and health warnings issued as a heatwave continues to cover much of Europe. Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records began over a century ago, according to Spain's national weather service. Spanish meterologists also announced that Barcelona had recorded its hottest June temperature on Monday, a single-day high of 37.9C. Health warnings also remained in effect Tuesday in several European countries, after being issued on Monday for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the UK. In France more than 1,300 schools were fully or partially closed on Tuesday, as the country issued red danger-to-life heat warnings. Temperatures are expected to reach higher than 40C in many parts of the country. Tourists hoping to visit the Eiffel Tower were told to postpone their visits, as the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday. On Monday the peak of Mont Blanc, which is located in France, also reached temperatures above freezing for the first time ever in June. While Europe's highest mountain will sometimes record a temperature above freezing at its summit, it has never happened this early in the summer. However, the summit remained at or above freezing for over 24 hours on Monday. Belgium also had to temporarily close one of its landmarks, as temperatures were expected to reach as high as 37C. One of its most popular tourist attractions, The Atomium, has been partially closed due to the extreme heat and structural limitations of the building. Portugal also saw its highest single temperature for the month of June. The countries' weather service issued a statement on Monday night confirming a scorching heat of 46.6C, recorded on June 29. The old record was 44.9C in 2017, meaning the new one eclipses it by over 1.7 degrees. While in Italy, 17 of the countries 27 major cities were experiencing a heatwave, according to the health ministry on Tuesday. Near Bologna, a 46-year-old construction company owner collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, according to Italy's national broadcaster. The heat was suspected as the possible cause of death, with an autopsy being conducted to find the truth. Firefighters across Turkey tried to contain wildfires for a third consecutive day on Tuesday. The fires have damaged dozens of homes and forced 50,000 residents to evacuate. Two major fires in the provinces of Izmir and Manisa were close to containment, according to Turkey's Forestry Minister. However, crews were reportedly struggling with a large, wind-driven fire still sweeping through the southern province of Hatay. In the Czech Republic, temperatures are expected to reach 37C by Wednesday for swathes of the country, including the capital. Prague zoo had to turn to extreme measures to keep their animals cool, in the form of 10 tonnes of ice distributed across the park. Twin polar bear brothers Aleut and Gregor looked pleased when they found parts of their enclosure covered with a thick layer of ice on Tuesday morning, rolling around in it happily.
