Heatwave: Ferocious European heat heads north

On Tuesday, a fierce heatwave moved north and scorching temperatures were felt throughout much of Western Europe. According to preliminary Met Office data, the UK recorded its hottest temperature ever at 40.2C, and forecasters warned that temperatures will continue to rise.

France issued extreme heat warnings, and the Netherlands reported July temperatures that were records. Thousands of people have had to leave their homes due to deadly wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.

In Spain’s northwest Zamora region, two persons perished in forest fires, and trains in the area were stopped due to burning near the tracks. In northern Portugal, an elderly couple perished while attempting to flee fires.

Due to human-induced climate change, heatwaves are now more common, more powerful, and stay longer. According to German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, the country’s plans for extremely hot weather, droughts, and flooding must be revised because of the climate problem.

A day after numerous French cities, including Nantes in the west, experienced their warmest day ever, wildfires were still raging.

A number of camp sites were destroyed, and evacuees were housed in temporary shelters as more than 30,000 people were forced to escape. Firefighters from all around France are working to put out two fires that have burned over 19,300 hectares (47,700 acres) of land in Gironde, a well-known vacation area in the southwest. Early on Tuesday, the wind shifted, and smoke engulfed the city of Bordeaux.

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