Temperatures rise above 40C as continent is hit by heatwave and wildfires
Fires burned in France's Aude wine region, along Bulgaria's southern borders, near Montenegro's capital and coast, and in Turkey's north west — and Hungary recorded record-breaking weekend temperatures.
2025 is predicted to be the second or third-warmest year on record, according to the UK-based Carbon Brief.
The extreme heat in Europe fits that global pattern but the continent is heating far faster than the rest of the world.
A man sunbathes in the Tuileries gardens in Paris (Aurelien Morissard/AP)
Land temperatures have risen about 2.3C above pre-industrial levels, nearly twice the global average, intensifying heatwaves and driving record fire seasons.
With major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June, the burned area is already far above the seasonal norm.
On Monday, the French national weather authority, Meteo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains.
Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighbouring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain.
Smoke billows from a hill behind vineyards during France's largest wildfire in decades near Camplong-d' Aude, southern France (Manu Fernandez/AP)
'Don't be fooled – this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare,' agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told broadcaster BFMTV from Montauban in France's Tarn-et-Garonne department, where the blistering heat pressed relentlessly throughout the day.
Social media images showed shuttered streets in Valence, residents shielding windows with foil to reflect the light, and tourists huddling under umbrellas along the Garonne in Toulouse. Across the south, cafe terraces stood empty as people sought cooler corners indoors.
In France's Aude department, a patchwork of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remained in the rolling wine country guarding the edges of a massive, deadly blaze that scorched 40,000 acres last week.
Officials say the fire is under control but warn it will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots still smouldering and at risk of reigniting.
Firefighters battle a wildfire near Montenegro's capital of Podgorica (Risto Bozovic/AP)
The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before.
It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life.
The heatwave, France's second of the summer, began on Friday and is expected to last all week, carrying into the August 15 holiday weekend.
Montenegro reported wildfires near the capital Podgorica and along the Adriatic coast, prompting urgent appeals for help from neighbouring countries.
Families were evacuated from an area north of the capital as army units worked to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja.
Emergency official Nikola Bojanovic described the situation as 'catastrophic', with strong winds driving the flames. Authorities urged residents to conserve drinking water to avoid restrictions.
Bosnia's southern city of Mostar reached 43C, while Croatia's Dubrovnik hit 34C in the morning.
In Serbia, farmers on the Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up.
In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40C Monday on Monday, with maximum fire danger alerts in place.
Nearly 200 fires have been reported; most have been brought under control, localised and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging', said Alexander Dzhartov, head of the national fire safety unit.
In Turkey, a wildfire fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds forced authorities to evacuate holiday homes and a university campus and to suspend maritime traffic in the country's north west.
Sunday brought a new national high of 39.9C on Sunday in the south east of Hungary, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7C. Authorities imposed a nationwide fire ban amid extreme heat and drought.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Wildfires across Europe hit tourism spots and forests
Firefighters across Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans were battling wildfires today with another heatwave pushing temperatures over 40C across parts of Europe. Global warming is giving the Mediterranean region hotter, drier summers, scientists say, with wildfires surging each year and sometimes whipping up into "whirls". "We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue," said a mayor in Portugal, Alexandre Favaios, as three fires burned. On the outskirts of the Spanish capital Madrid, a fire killed a man working at a horse stable and reached some houses and farms but was contained by today, regional authorities said. To the south in Tarifa, on Spain's coast close to Morocco, beachgoers filmed flames and black smoke on the hills above elegant whitewashed villas. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from Tarifa as the fire - believed to have started in eucalyptus and pine forests - spread, officials said. Helicopters doused the blaze with seawater. In Spain, temperatures were set to reach 44C in some regions, according to meteorology service AEMET. Minimal rainfall and windy conditions were expected to exacerbate the risk. In Albania and Montenegro, authorities issued a heatwave warning as temperatures reached 38-39C. Germany issued heat warnings for much of the country yesterday, with temperatures above 30C expected until Friday. In Italy, red heat alerts were issued for 16 cities while in France authorities declared red or orange weather alerts for much of the country. Spanish military called in to help Spain's Interior Ministry declared a "pre-emergency", putting national services on standby to support firefighting. Almost 1,000 members of the armed forces are already helping. Spain's largest region, Castile and Leon, had 32 wildfires raging today with more than 1,200 firefighters involved. Five of the fires were categorised as a direct threat to nearby populations. In Leon province, around 3,780 residents were evacuated, while over 600 residents of seven towns in Zamora were also ordered to leave their homes. In north Portugal, more than 1,300 firefighters backed by 14 aircraft were battling three large fires. One of them, in the Vila Real area, has been burning for 10 days. Local mayor Mr Favaios pleaded for more government help. "It's been 10 days of extremely hard fight against the flames, 10 days that our population is in panic, without knowing when the fire will knock on their door," he told broadcaster RTP. With two Portuguese waterbombing planes in need of repair, authorities requested help from Morocco yessterday, which sent two replacement planes. A heatwave that brought temperatures of around 40C to north Portugal in the past week showed signs of abating today, with rain and thunderstorms expected, according to the weather service IPMA. Across the region in Albania, swathes of forest and farmland have been burnt by wildfires in the past week. Helicopters from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United Arab Emirates assisted the Balkan state to contain 19 separate wildfires stoked by strong winds today. In neighbouring Montenegro, authorities backed by helicopters from Serbia and Croatia contained a wildfire near the capital Podgorica today, with the city covered by smoke. In Greece at Europe's southernmost tip, wildfires in some cases fanned by gale-force winds forced the evacuation of several villages and a hotel on the tourist islands of Zakynthos and Cephalonia in the Ionian Sea along with four other parts of the mainland. "Winds are strong and the wildfire is out of control," Zakynthos mayor Yiorgos Stasinopoulos told Greek public broadcaster ERT. Another 85 firefighters and 10 aircraft fought to stop a fire reaching houses near the western Greek town of Vonitsa. The picture was similar in Turkey where a large blaze in the northwestern province of Canakkale burned for a second day after hundreds of residents were evacuated as a precaution. Wildfires in Canakkale's Ezine and Ayvacik districts, which saw Canakkale airport and the Dardanelles Strait closed yesterday, were largely brought under control today. But blazes in the city centre in the southern part of the strait were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a post on X. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned of possible deadly effects as it issued heat health warnings for all of England. Amber warnings are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England, London and the South East until tomorrow, with yellow warnings in place for the remainder of the country. While Ireland appears to be escaping the European heatwaves, Met Éireann has said it will be a very warm day with highs of 22 to 28C. Temperatures across the country are to remain high for the rest of the week with 25C forecast for parts until Friday.
The Journal
21 hours ago
- The Journal
Pope's general audience moved indoors due to heatwave as France sets new temperature records
LAST UPDATE | 5 mins ago THE VATICAN HAS announced that Pope Leo XIV's general audience will be moved indoors this coming Wednesday due to high temperatures. Most Wednesday mornings, the Pope gives a general audience to pilgrims at the Vatican in Rome. It's not a Mass, but is instead a reflection on a piece of religious scripture. The audience begins with a short reading, a homily based on the reading, and then the Pope will offer a blessing to all who are present or following online. This coming Wednesday, it will be moved to the Paul VI Audience Hall, which is located next to St Peter's Square. It can hold around 6,300 people, though the general audience will still be broadcast on the big screens set up in St Peter's Square. The late Pope Francis attends a general audience in the Paul VI Hall on 3 January 2024, when it was moved indoors due to cold weather Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Afterwards, Pope Leo go into St Peter's Basilica to greet those who could not find a place in the Hall and followed the audience on the screens in the Square. Rome is enduring a heat wave this week and temperatures in the city are expected to reach 38 degrees on Wednesday. Elsewhere in Italy, a four-year-old Romanian boy died days after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia. The boy was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died of irreversible brain damage. The news came as Italy's health ministry issued a red alert warning for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence. Some 11 Italian cities are on red alert for Tuesday, and 16 cities on Wednesday, while around 190 firefighters and the army continue to tackle a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius that caused the closure of the national park to tourists. France Meanwhile, records were broken at four weather stations in southern France today. Large parts of France baked in a new summer heatwave today and the government called for vigilance. In the southwestern city of Bordeaux, the mercury reached 41.6 degrees at around 4:00 pm, compared with a previous record of 41.2C on 23 July, 2019. All-time records were also broken at meteorological stations in Bergerac, Cognac and Saint Girons, according to the national weather service, Meteo France. 'The maximum temperatures could rise further,' Patrick Galois, a forecaster at Meteo France, told reporters. A temperature of 41C was also recorded in the cities of Toulouse and Carcassonne. The heatwave, the country's second this summer, began on Friday and was forecast to last at least until the weekend, though it could extend into next week. Advertisement Today, 12 French departments were placed on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, and the national weather service said it was placing four more departments on red alert from midday tomorrow. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighbouring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain. The French public health agency called for vigilance, urging people to stay hydrated and avoid alcohol and coffee. Spain Elsewhere, firefighters in northwestern Spain struggled on today to contain a wildfire that damaged a Roman-era mining site and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. The firefighting effort faced 'many difficulties' due to high temperatures and winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour. Around 700 people remained displaced and four people, including two firefighters, suffered minor injuries. The blaze broke out on yesterday near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Las Medulas, a Roman gold-mining area famed for its striking red landscape in northwestern Spain. UNESCO describes the site as 'unquestionably the best preserved and most representative of all the mining areas of the Greco-Roman world in classical times.' Burned field in the area of Las Medulas, considered a World Heritage Site. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Spain has been in the grip of a heatwave for the past week, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees in many areas and fuelling wildfires. The northwestern Castile and Leon region alone has seen 13 fires in the past three days, some were believed to have been deliberately started. In neighbouring Portugal, firefighters were battling three large wildfires in the centre and north of the country. The largest, near the town of Trancoso, has been burning since Saturday and is being battled by more than 650 firefighters backed by six aircraft. Record highs across Hungary Elsewhere, Bosnia's southern city of Mostar reached 43C, while Croatia's Dubrovnik hit 34C in the morning. In Serbia, farmers on the Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up. In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40C Monday on Monday, with maximum fire danger alerts in place. Nearly 200 fires have been reported; most have been brought under control, localised and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging', said Alexander Dzhartov, head of the national fire safety unit. In Turkey, a wildfire fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds forced authorities to evacuate holiday homes and a university campus and to suspend maritime traffic in the country's north west. Sunday brought a new national high of 39.9C on Sunday in the south east of Hungary, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7C. Authorities imposed a nationwide fire ban amid extreme heat and drought. -With additional reporting from © AFP 2025 and Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Temperatures rise above 40C as continent is hit by heatwave and wildfires
A heatwave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40C in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fuelling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world's fastest-warming continent. Fires burned in France's Aude wine region, along Bulgaria's southern borders, near Montenegro's capital and coast, and in Turkey's north west — and Hungary recorded record-breaking weekend temperatures. 2025 is predicted to be the second or third-warmest year on record, according to the UK-based Carbon Brief. The extreme heat in Europe fits that global pattern but the continent is heating far faster than the rest of the world. A man sunbathes in the Tuileries gardens in Paris (Aurelien Morissard/AP) Land temperatures have risen about 2.3C above pre-industrial levels, nearly twice the global average, intensifying heatwaves and driving record fire seasons. With major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June, the burned area is already far above the seasonal norm. On Monday, the French national weather authority, Meteo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighbouring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain. Smoke billows from a hill behind vineyards during France's largest wildfire in decades near Camplong-d' Aude, southern France (Manu Fernandez/AP) 'Don't be fooled – this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare,' agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told broadcaster BFMTV from Montauban in France's Tarn-et-Garonne department, where the blistering heat pressed relentlessly throughout the day. Social media images showed shuttered streets in Valence, residents shielding windows with foil to reflect the light, and tourists huddling under umbrellas along the Garonne in Toulouse. Across the south, cafe terraces stood empty as people sought cooler corners indoors. In France's Aude department, a patchwork of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remained in the rolling wine country guarding the edges of a massive, deadly blaze that scorched 40,000 acres last week. Officials say the fire is under control but warn it will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots still smouldering and at risk of reigniting. Firefighters battle a wildfire near Montenegro's capital of Podgorica (Risto Bozovic/AP) The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before. It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life. The heatwave, France's second of the summer, began on Friday and is expected to last all week, carrying into the August 15 holiday weekend. Montenegro reported wildfires near the capital Podgorica and along the Adriatic coast, prompting urgent appeals for help from neighbouring countries. Families were evacuated from an area north of the capital as army units worked to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja. Emergency official Nikola Bojanovic described the situation as 'catastrophic', with strong winds driving the flames. Authorities urged residents to conserve drinking water to avoid restrictions. Bosnia's southern city of Mostar reached 43C, while Croatia's Dubrovnik hit 34C in the morning. In Serbia, farmers on the Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up. In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40C Monday on Monday, with maximum fire danger alerts in place. Nearly 200 fires have been reported; most have been brought under control, localised and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging', said Alexander Dzhartov, head of the national fire safety unit. In Turkey, a wildfire fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds forced authorities to evacuate holiday homes and a university campus and to suspend maritime traffic in the country's north west. Sunday brought a new national high of 39.9C on Sunday in the south east of Hungary, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7C. Authorities imposed a nationwide fire ban amid extreme heat and drought.
