France and Spain hit by red weather warnings as Europe burns in 44C heatwave
As the UK braces for its fourth heatwave with 32C heat expected in the capital, Spain's meteorological service Aemet has forecast peaks of 44C heat in Seville on Tuesday as the country swelters. Meanwhile, France could see highs of 39C across Lyon and Montelimar on Tuesday.
Met Office spokesperson, Stephen Dixon, said: 'A heatwave over northwest Africa and Iberia will spread further northeast, bringing temperatures well above average for Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Belgium and other parts of Europe. This will spread northeast over the next 4-5 days, reaching places like France and Germany later in the week.
'For Spain and Portugal, temperatures into the 40s Celsius are possible inland by day, with overnight temperature remaining above 20C in many locations. High pressure, as well as day-on-day heating at the time of year with little in the way of cloud is allowing temperatures to rise to well above average for these locations, even for the time of year.
'There's a chance of some health impacts with the heat, especially for those who aren't acclimatised or are outside during the hottest parts of the day.'
Spain's red weather warnings denote 'significant risk', with vast swathes of the north and west of the country put under a red heat health alert, the highest level.
The red warning states that 'exposure to excessive temperatures can lead to health problems such as 'cramps, dehydration, heat stroke, and heat exhaustion (with multi-organ problems that can include symptoms such as gait instability, seizures, and even coma)', adding that during hot weather older people and children were more sensitive to temperature changes.
France's red warning is for the south west of the country, with citizens told to remain 'absolutely vigilant' as 'everyone is at risk, even healthy people' during a heatwave, according to Meteo France, the country's meteorological service.
'Rising temperatures can endanger people at risk, such as the elderly, the disabled, those with chronic illnesses or mental disorders, those who regularly take medication, and those who live in isolation', the service warned in a statement. 'For athletes and people who work outdoors, beware of heatstroke. Also watch over the children.'
The heat warnings are expected to stretch into parts of east France on Tuesday, with Ardeche and Rhone experiencing red heat alerts as well, while the majority of the country remain under lower-level orange alerts.
Agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told BFMTV : 'Don't be fooled — this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare,' as the region is set to experience blistering heat.
Wildfires in northern Spain, Portugal, and Turkey
Extreme heat and strong winds have caused 'fire whirls' in northern Spain, as 13 fires broke out in the north of Castile and Leon, with 700 people told to abandon their homes. Four fires were still live on Monday morning, according to Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, chief of environment for the regional government.
"This occurs when temperatures reach around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in a very confined valley and then suddenly (the fire) enters a more open and oxygenated area. This produces a fireball, a fire whirl," he said.
"This explosive and surprising phenomenon was very dangerous. It disrupted all the work that had been done, forcing us to start practically from scratch," he added.
In the northern part of neighbouring Portugal, nearly 700 firefighters were battling a blaze that started on Saturday in Trancoso, some 350 km (200 miles) northeast of Lisbon.
Turkey also continues to battle blazes after a fire broke out in an agricultural field in the province of Canakkale, north west Turkey, and spread into surrounding forestland, just two days after firefighting teams had contained a similar blaze in the area.
Canakkale governor Omer Toraman said the Dardanelles Strait — the narrow waterway linking the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara — was closed to allow water-dropping planes and helicopters to operate safely.
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