A vicious heatwave has engulfed southern Europe, with punishing temperatures reaching highs of 46°C (114.8°F) in Spain and placing almost the entirety of mainland France under alert. This extreme heat, intensified by fossil fuel pollution, has scorched Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece as the region endures its first major heatwave of the summer.
The high temperatures have prompted authorities in several countries to issue new health warnings and scramble firefighters to prevent wildfires. “Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal,” said António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, at a development conference in Seville on Monday.
Spain and France Under Siege
The southern Spanish city of Seville is forecast to roast in more than 40°C heat for the next three days, with night-time temperatures remaining at least 25°C until Thursday morning. Doctors have expressed alarm at the combination of hot days and uncomfortably warm nights, which can place lethal stress on the human body.
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 has 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 the southwest of France over the weekend, burning 400 hectares and leading to the precautionary evacuation of more than 100 people from their homes.
Broader Impact Across Europe
In Italy, 21 out of 27 cities were placed on the highest heat alert on Sunday, with hospital admissions in some of the hottest regions, such as Tuscany, up 20%. People have been advised not to venture outside between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Portugal has seven out of 18 regions under red warnings of “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 approach 40°C by Wednesday.
In the UK, temperatures are projected to reach 34°C in London and the southeast of England. The Met Office has warned 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.
Expert Opinions and Future Implications
Radhika Khosla, an urban climatologist at the University of Oxford, noted that “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 a result of a heat dome trapping an area of high pressure and hot air. This comes amid an ongoing marine heatwave that has left the Mediterranean 5°C hotter than normal, according to data from the University of Maine’s climate change institute.
Dr. Michael Byrne, a climate scientist at the University of St Andrews, explained that while heat domes are not new, the temperatures they deliver are. “Europe is more than 2°C warmer than in preindustrial times, so when a heat dome occurs, it drives a hotter heatwave,” he said.
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.
Doctors across the continent have 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 neighbors.
“The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous,” said Guterres, who called for more action to stop climate change. “No country is immune.”
