As a fierce heatwave moves farther north on Tuesday, Western Europe will see even more oppressive temperatures. Extreme heat warnings were issued in France and the UK, while on Monday, temperatures in northern Spain reached 43C (109F).
People were forced on a mass exodus from their homes due to wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.
The UK is predicted to see its warmest day ever, while experts predict a “heat apocalypse” in some regions of France.
The national meteorological agency said that several regions of France saw their warmest days ever, with the western city of Nantes registering 42C.
More than 30,000 people have had to evacuate due to wildfires in recent days, and emergency shelters have been put up for them.
Firefighters are struggling to contain blazes that have scorched roughly 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land since last Tuesday in Gironde, a well-known tourist destination in the south-west.
“The idea that comes into my head is, it’s a monster, It’s a monster like an octopus, and it’s growing and growing and growing in the front, in the back, on both sides. Because of the temperature, because of the wind, because of the lack of water in the air… it’s a monster and it’s very difficult to fight against it.”
Jean-Luc Gleyze, the president of the Gironde region
In the Gironde area, temperatures that were about 40C on Monday are expected to dip on Tuesday, although that may not provide instant comfort as long as dry weather and unpredictable winds continue.
A value of 38.1C was recorded in Suffolk, in eastern England, on Monday, making it one of the warmest days on record for the UK. According to forecasters, temperatures on Tuesday might reach 40°C, with excessive heat warnings in effect for central, northern, and south-east England.
Railways were cancelled, and flights at London’s Luton Airport were stopped after a section of the runway gave way under the intense heat.
The Netherlands saw its warmest day of the year on Monday. I in the southwest, The town of Westdorpe recorded 33.6C temperatures. Additionally, temperatures are predicted to reach as high as 39C on Tuesday in the southern and central Netherlands.
The heatwave, according to forecasters, is moving north, with temperatures in Belgium and Germany set to reach about 40C in the following days.
At least 20 flames are now out of control in Spain. As flames raged on both sides of the carriage at the northern border with Portugal, a traveler caught the incident on camera as the locomotive he was on temporarily came to a stop.
Due to human-induced climate change, heatwaves are now more common, more powerful, and stay longer. Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.
Image credits: ShutterStock
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