Extreme heatwave hits Europe with temperatures expected up to 44°C
Europe is bracing for an exceptional heatwave expected on the weekend, with temperatures expected to be as high as 44 degrees Celsius in some countries.
According to France's official weather service, four southern departments including the Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales are under heatwave alerts, while 14 departments are expected to be on Saturday.
Alerts of "severe" risks of wildfire, have also been issued.
One French meteorologist, Jérôme Cerisier, says they are expecting 10 to 15 degrees above the seasonal average.
"A new anticyclone is settling over France, and we'll once again have what we call a 'heat dome', with temperatures rising by 1 to 2°C day after day. The warm air is self-sustaining, the skies are clear, so we'll once again see exceptional values, often 10 to 15°C above seasonal averages, and for the long term," said Cerisier.
In Portugal's capital of Lisbon, temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius are anticipated in the coming days.
The Portuguese weather service issued yellow and orange warnings across much of the country.
With once again a risk of wildfires in a good part of the country, ngela Lourenço who works for IPMA said " the risk of wildfires aggravates with the temperatures, humidity and winds - really hot weather, temperatures will increase greatly, very low humidity and the wind will blow at times, (..) so from a meteorological point of view - we have here conditions that increase the risk of wildfires and this situation will stay for the coming days and week."
And in Spain's capital Madrid, tourists and locals have been looking for shade and ways to cool down.
One English tourist Amy Wainwright, said "I think we try to avoid the sun as much as possible. We try to stay inside as much as possible and try to drink as much beer as possible. I think it's possibly the best option."
The heatwave is expected to last until Tuesday.
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France 24
4 hours ago
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Cold baths, climate shelters as Southern Europe heatwave intensifies
Ambulances stood on standby near tourist hotspots and regions issued fire warnings as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent. Peaks of 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) were expected in areas of southern Spain and Portugal, while nearly all of France is sweltering in heat expected to last for several days. In Italy, 21 cities were on high alert for extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence and Rome. "We were supposed to be visiting the Colosseum, but my mum nearly fainted," said British tourist Anna Becker, who had travelled to Rome from a "muggy, miserable" Verona. Hospital emergency departments across Italy have reported an uptick in heatstroke cases, according to Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine. "We've seen around a 10 percent increase, mainly in cities that not only have very high temperatures but also a higher humidity rate. It is mainly elderly people, cancer patients or homeless people, presenting with dehydration, heat stroke, fatigue," he told AFP. 'Climate shelters' Hospitals like the Ospedale dei Colli in Naples have set up dedicated heatstroke pathways to speed access to vital treatments like cold water immersion, Guarino said. In Venice, authorities offered free guided tours for people over 75s in air-conditioned museums and public buildings. Bologna has set up seven "climate shelters" with air conditioning and drinking water, Florence has called on doctors to flag up the lonely and vulnerable, Ancona is delivering dehumidifiers to the needy, and Rome has offered free access to city swimming pools for those over 70. Scientists say climate change is stoking hotter and more intense heatwaves, particularly in cities where the so-called "urban heat island" effect amplifies temperatures among tightly packed buildings. "The heat waves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and more intense in recent years, with peaks of 37 degrees or even more in cities, where the urban heat island effect raises the temperatures even further," said Emanuela Piervitali, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). "A further increase in temperature and heat extremes is expected in the future, so we will have to get used to temperatures with peaks even higher than those we are experiencing now," she told AFP. Invasive species In Portugal, several areas in the southern half of the country, including the capital Lisbon, are under a red warning for heat until Monday night due to "persistently extremely high maximum temperature values", according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert Sunday for extreme heat and forest fires, as was the Italian island of Sicily, where firefighters tackled 15 blazes Saturday. In France, experts warned that the heat was also severely impacting biodiversity. "With this stifling heat, the temperature can exceed 40 degrees in some nests," said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO). "We are taking in birds in difficulty everywhere; our seven care centres are saturated," he said. It is also attracting invasive species, which are thriving in the more tropical climes. Italy's ISPRA launched a campaign this week urging fishermen and tourists alike to report sightings of four "potentially dangerous" venomous species. The lionfish, silver-cheeked toadfish, dusky spinefoot and marbled spinefoot are beginning to appear in waters off southern Italy as the Mediterranean warms, it said. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
14 hours ago
- Euronews
Extreme heatwave hits Europe with temperatures expected up to 44°C
Europe is bracing for an exceptional heatwave expected on the weekend, with temperatures expected to be as high as 44 degrees Celsius in some countries. According to France's official weather service, four southern departments including the Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Hérault and Pyrénées-Orientales are under heatwave alerts, while 14 departments are expected to be on Saturday. Alerts of "severe" risks of wildfire, have also been issued. One French meteorologist, Jérôme Cerisier, says they are expecting 10 to 15 degrees above the seasonal average. "A new anticyclone is settling over France, and we'll once again have what we call a 'heat dome', with temperatures rising by 1 to 2°C day after day. The warm air is self-sustaining, the skies are clear, so we'll once again see exceptional values, often 10 to 15°C above seasonal averages, and for the long term," said Cerisier. In Portugal's capital of Lisbon, temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius are anticipated in the coming days. The Portuguese weather service issued yellow and orange warnings across much of the country. With once again a risk of wildfires in a good part of the country, ngela Lourenço who works for IPMA said " the risk of wildfires aggravates with the temperatures, humidity and winds - really hot weather, temperatures will increase greatly, very low humidity and the wind will blow at times, (..) so from a meteorological point of view - we have here conditions that increase the risk of wildfires and this situation will stay for the coming days and week." And in Spain's capital Madrid, tourists and locals have been looking for shade and ways to cool down. One English tourist Amy Wainwright, said "I think we try to avoid the sun as much as possible. We try to stay inside as much as possible and try to drink as much beer as possible. I think it's possibly the best option." The heatwave is expected to last until Tuesday.
Local France
20 hours ago
- Local France
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