Tourists warned as parts of Europe fry in extreme heatwave
Europe is currently enduring a series of intense heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 40C across Italy, Spain, and Greece, prompting urgent warnings from local authorities regarding the heightened risk of wildfires. Experts are directly linking the escalating frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events to the climate crisis, indicating a concerning trend for the region.
Before the weekend, severe heat gripped Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, forcing both residents and holidaymakers to seek refuge from the scorching conditions. The sustained high temperatures underscore the growing challenge posed by a warming planet, as such extreme weather phenomena are projected to become an increasingly common and severe feature of Europe's southern landscape.
Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert on Sunday over extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42C in Lisbon.
In Italy, a few regions - Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria - were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record high temperatures. Italian trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level.
On Sunday, the Italian health ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples.
In Rome, tourists tried to seek shade near popular spots like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and drinking from public water fountains to stay cool.
Similar scenes were reported in Milan and Naples, where street vendors sold lemonade to tourists and residents to offer some refreshment from the heat.
Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather, with the first summer heat wave expected to continue throughout the weekend.
A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky.
There are also reports of some of the tourist islands limiting water supply during the heatwave.
Experts warned that intense heat can affect daily life, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children.
Local authorities advised against physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, and recommended drinking plenty of fluids.
A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies.
While more people die from cold than heat, the study stressed that rising temperatures will offset the benefits of milder winters, leading to a significant net increase in heat-related mortality.
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BreakingNews.ie
29 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Europe swelters under scorching temperatures as regions issue heat alerts
Forest fires fanned by high winds and hot, dry weather damaged some holiday homes in Turkey as a lingering heatwave covering much of Europe led authorities to raise warnings and tourists to find ways to beat the heat. A heat dome hovered over France, Portugal and Spain to Turkey on Monday, while data from European forecasters suggested other countries were set to broil further in the coming days. Advertisement Heat warnings were issued for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany with new highs expected on Wednesday before rain is forecast to bring respite to some areas later this week. People use a street water fountain during a heatwave in Paris (Christophe Ena/AP) 'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,' UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres tweeted from Seville, Spain, where temperatures hit 42C on Monday. Reiterating his frequent calls for action to fight climate change, Mr Guterres added: 'The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous — no country is immune.' In Portugal — his home country — a reading of 46.6C was registered in Mora, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Lisbon. Advertisement Weather officials were working to confirm whether that marked a new record for June. Portuguese authorities issued a red heat warning on Monday for seven of 18 districts as temperatures were forecast to hit 43C. The first heat wave of the year has gripped Spain since the weekend and no relief is expected until Thursday, the national weather service said on Monday. Tourists protect themselves from the sun with umbrellas while looking at the Sagrada Familia church on a hot day in Barcelona (Emilio Morenatti/AP) The country appeared to hit a new high for June on Saturday when 46C was recorded in the southern province of Huelva, while Sunday's national average of 28C set a record for a high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950. Advertisement – Forest fires In France, which was almost entirely sweltering in the heatwave on Monday, and where air conditioning remains relatively rare, local and national authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people and people working outside. Some tourists were putting off plans for some rigorous outdoor activities. 'We were going to do a bike tour today, but we decided because it was going be so warm not to do the bike tour,' said Andrea Tyson, 46, who was visiting Paris from New Philadelphia, Ohio, on Sunday. Misting stations doused passers-by along the River Seine in the French capital. Advertisement France's first significant forest fires of the season consumed 400 hectares (988 acres) of woods on Sunday and Monday in the Aude region in the south. Water-dumping planes and some 300 firefighters were mobilised, the regional emergency service said. Tourists were evacuated from one campground in the area. An Icelandic horse drinks water from a water hose at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst/AP) In Turkey, forest fires fanned by strong winds damaged some holiday homes in Izmir's Doganbey region and forced the temporary closure of the airport in Izmir, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities evacuated four villages as a precaution, the Forestry Ministry said. Advertisement Firefighters were also battling a blaze that broke out on Monday near residential areas in Hatay province, near Turkey's border with Syria, that prompted the evacuation of 1,500 people. In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its level three 'red' alert, which indicates 'emergency conditions with possible negative effects' on healthy, active people as well as at-risk old people, children and chronically ill people. Regional governments in north-western Liguria and southern Sicily put restrictions on outdoor work, such as construction and agricultural labour, during the peak heat hours. The mercury was rising further north, too. – 'People who need protection' In southern Germany, temperatures of up to 35C were expected on Monday, and they were forecast to creep higher until midweek – going as high as 39C on Wednesday. Some German towns and regions imposed limits on how much water can be taken from rivers and lakes. At the Berlin zoo, elephants were showered with water and bears treated with blocks of ice containing fruit.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Why is the UK experiencing a heatwave and what can people do in response?
Temperatures are set to climb to as high as 35C in the latest heatwave to hit parts of the UK. So what is causing it and what are the impacts? – What is causing the heatwave? The UK is on the edge of a 'heat dome' currently sitting over continental Europe which has pushed temperatures to extreme highs in places such as Spain, Italy and Greece. Dr Akshay Deoras, from the University of Reading, says the heat dome, an area of high pressure currently centred on Denmark, with the UK on its western edge, is 'bringing stable, mostly cloudless weather and drawing in hot, dry air from the south'. Dr Michael Byrne, reader in climate science at the University of St Andrews, said heat domes, which occur when high pressure weather systems that normally last a few days get stuck in place for a week or more, are 'nothing new'. But they and other scientists are clear that climate change – caused by human activity such as burning fossil fuels – is making heatwaves more frequent and intense. – So what is the role of climate change in heatwaves? Put simply, the Earth has warmed significantly since pre-industrial times due to humans putting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which trap more heat. When hot conditions occur on top of that background warming, for example during a heat dome situation, they are hotter than they would be without it, while it also means heatwaves occur more frequently. So while Dr Byrne says there is nothing new about heat domes, 'what is new are the temperatures heat domes deliver: Europe is more than 2C warmer than in pre-industrial times, so when a heat dome occurs it drives a hotter heatwave', he says. Dr Ben Clarke, research associate in extreme weather and climate change at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, says that without climate change, the UK would still experience periods of fine, warm weather in June – but the hotter atmosphere means that 'fine' weather is now very hot. 'In short, climate change is making 'nice' weather more dangerous, and already dangerous weather more deadly,' he warned. – How do we know climate change is making heatwaves hotter and more frequent? Scientists have conducted numerous 'attribution' studies to assess the role of climate change in extreme weather such as heatwaves, comparing the current conditions with what would have happened in a world without global warming. For example in the summer of 2022, when temperatures smashed through the 40C mark for the first time on record in the UK, scientists found it would have been 'almost impossible' without global warming. Most recently, the same World Weather Attribution group of scientists found the heatwave earlier this month was made about 100 times more likely, or around 2-4C hotter due to global warming. And Met Office analysis has found the kind of 40C temperatures seen in 2022 have a 50:50 chance of happening again in the next 12 years as the risk of extreme heat rises with climate change – with temperatures of 45C now possible in the UK. – What are the impacts of heatwaves? Scientists such as Dr Fredi Otto, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial and one of the scientists leading the World Weather Attribution work, label heatwaves as 'silent killers'. 'Every year thousands of people in Europe die due to extreme heat, particularly those that live in poorly insulated homes, on busy, polluted roads, and that have already health problems,' she said. Particularly at risk are those who are older, or have pre-existing health conditions: more than 1,000 excess deaths among older people were recorded around the four-day peak of the July 2022 heatwave, with more than 3,000 heat-related deaths in England over that summer. Heatwaves also lead to increased calls to ambulance and emergency services, affect the functioning of hospitals, care homes and schools, hit outdoor workers and damage agriculture, cause transport disruption, raise the risk of wildfires and put water supplies under pressure. Experts also warn extreme heat is linked to worsening symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and to increased violence. – So what can people do to protect themselves? Experts suggest a number of practical steps people can take to protect themselves and others against this week's extreme heat. These include trying to keep homes cool by closing windows and curtains during the day to keep out the heat, and opening them at night when it is cooler, drinking plenty of non-alcoholic cold drinks, staying out of the sun, avoiding exercise and checking on elderly people. Measures are also needed to protect communities, including green spaces, better quality housing, temporary cooling centres, and even rescheduling large-scale outdoor events outside the summer months, according to Dr Malcolm Mistry, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Ultimately though, the risk of extreme heat is only going to worsen with continued climate change, with scientists warning the only way to curb global warming is to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero worldwide. As Professor James Dyke, assistant director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, puts it: 'These latest European heatwaves are the result of record-breaking greenhouse gas emissions. 'Europe is the fastest-warming continent as a result of human-caused climate change. 'The only way to avoid even more extreme heat is to rapidly phase out fossil fuels.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Is it safe to travel to Tunisia? Your rights amid ongoing conflict in Middle East
Tourists may be questioning their summer travel plans to Tunisia following missile attacks between Israel and Iran earlier this month. Advice from the UK Foreign Office currently considers Tunisian tourist resorts safe to travel to – however, travel guidance for North Africa has been updated to reflect ongoing tensions in the Middle East. After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on 13 June and attacks escalated between the two countries and the US, a ceasefire deal proposed by US President Donald Trump has been tentatively holding since 24 June. Tunisia has long been a popular tourist destination in North Africa due to its dependable hot weather and historic cities, but with security risks for travel to the neighbouring regions, tourists have raised concerns about their holiday plans. Here's the latest travel advice for Tunisia, plus all the key questions and answers. What does the Foreign Office say? According to Foreign Office travel advice for Tunisia, as of 30 June: 'Ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region.' Tourists are told to monitor local and international media for the latest information, 'be vigilant' and follow the instructions of local authorities. Generally, the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Tunisia. This includes the Tunisia-Algeria border and the Chaambi Mountains National Park due to 'cross-border terrorist activity and operations by the Tunisian security forces'. Also included in Tunisia's 'do not travel' area is within 20km of the Tunisia-Libya border, the militarised zone south of the towns of El Borma and Dhehiba, and the town of Ben Guerdane and the immediate surrounding area. It says: 'This is due to cross-border terrorist activity and fighting in Libya.' The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to other areas in southern and western Tunisia and reminds tourists that there is a 'high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests'. Travellers are also warned to avoid demonstrations in response to the current situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in some Tunisian cities, including outside some western embassies. Are flights continuing to Tunisia? Yes, flights are operating as scheduled to Tunisia's main tourist aviation hubs, including Tunis-Carthage and Enfidha-Hammamet airports. What if I have booked a holiday to Tunisia? As the Foreign Office has not warned against travel to most of Tunisia, there will be no special circumstances to cancel a trip for a full refund due to safety concerns. The main tourist spots – Hammamet and Tunis – are a fair distance from Tunisia's 'do not travel' areas anyway. The conditions for cancelling your trip will depend on your holiday provider, so it's best to contact them if you wish to postpone. There is no obligation for companies to refund bookings if you want to cancel, and you will not be able to claim travel insurance due to safety concerns unless the FCDO advice changes.
