Temperatures up to 44 degrees – “That’s really outrageous!”
Even in Great Britain it should be over 35 degrees in the coming days. The forest fire situation is coming to a head in several countries.
A man refreshes himself in a fountain: Temperatures in Europe are expected to rise again in the coming days.
Photo: Keystone
After Spain and Portugal have been groaning under a heat wave for days, high temperatures are now also expected in France and Great Britain. The heat wave in western Europe “affects Spain and Portugal in particular, but is expected to intensify and spread,” said a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva. According to scientists, climate change is causing more frequent and more intense heat waves.
In France, 1,000 hectares of forest in the Bordeaux region burned down on Tuesday. Because of another fire near the Dune du Pilat, the highest dune in Europe, around 6,000 campers were evacuated as a precaution during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, according to the fire brigade.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne asked her cabinet to prepare for the impact of the heatwave on the population, which is expected to last until at least early next week. From Wednesday temperatures between 31 and 36 degrees are expected, in the southwest sometimes up to 38 degrees.
In Great Britain, the British weather agency Met Office expects temperatures of over 35 degrees in England and Scotland from Sunday. The British were called upon by the water supply companies to save every drop and only heat as much water as they needed for their cup of tea. For comparison: In Switzerland, up to 35 degrees are expected in the south and west in the coming days. In the other parts of the country it will also be warmer than 30 degrees. There could be even higher temperatures next week
“It’s Hell”
Temperatures are expected to rise in Spain through Thursday, with a high of up to 44 degrees in Andalucia in the south of the country. Only the Canary Islands in the Atlantic off the west coast of Africa were spared from the heat.
It was “hell”, wrote the newspaper “El País”. The well-known newspaper quoted the Aemet press chief Cayetano Torres as saying: “That’s really outrageous!” According to Aemet, this second heat wave of the year in Spain is likely to be one of the longest since records began in 1975. According to official information, the heat wave began on Saturday, will reach its peak in the middle of this week and is expected to last until the beginning of next week.
It should be particularly hot on Wednesday with temperatures of up to 44 degrees in Andalusia in the south and in Extremadura in the west of the country. In some provinces of these regions, as well as in the autonomous community of Galicia, the red alert applied. For parts of Mallorca, “only” yellow alert was declared. There, the mercury column should climb up to 38 degrees on Wednesday.
In the cities, early in the morning, people were looking to cool down in fountains and ice cream parlors, fully air-conditioned shopping centers and cafés. According to media reports, the beaches on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts were also quickly full. Because of the tropical nights, many Spaniards complained about sleeping problems.
In combination with a drought that has lasted for weeks and strong winds, the heat is promoting the outbreak and spread of forest fires. The current worst fire continued to rage on Wednesday in the municipality of Las Hurdes near the border with Portugal. The flames have already destroyed around 3,500 hectares there. In the neighboring country of Portugal, the fire brigade and civil defense also fought forest fires at times well above 40 degrees, especially in the center of the country.
Due to the current heat wave, the Portuguese government ordered rescue workers to be on high alert until Friday. “The weather forecasts for the next few days remain extremely worrying in view of the risk of fire,” said Prime Minister António Costa.
Italian firefighters are also fighting forest fires
There is still a risk of new forest fires in Italy. The fire brigade in the Tuscan province of Massa Carrara on the border with Liguria fought flames on a hard-to-reach hill on Wednesday, the Tuscan authorities said.
Two helicopters and six units from different forces are on site. Increasing winds could fuel the flames in the area.
Forest fires near Palermo, Sicily. Heat and drought are currently prevailing in Italy. Above all, the dryness in combination with wind fan the forest or bush fires again and again.
Photo: Fire Brigade
The fire brigade in South Tyrol was also busy extinguishing a forest fire in Bozen on Wednesday. In Sicily and Sardinia there was an increased forest fire warning level in parts of the holiday islands.
Heat and drought are currently prevailing in Italy. Above all, the dryness in combination with wind fan the forest or bush fires again and again. The north in particular has had significantly less rain than usual so far this year.
Posted today at 11:34 am
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