A heat wave taking over Europe that has already caused deaths and severe forest fires looks set to get even worse.
The British weather has issued its first red warning of “extreme heat” for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures inclined to reach 40 degrees (the highest temperature recorded).
It occurs when forest fires continue to ravage other parts of the continent after unusually dry hot springs.
Here’s what you need to know.
Rising temperatures provoke an emergency response
With Mercury’s propensity to rise, UK government ministers were expected to hold talks on the crisis on Saturday (local time) after the state meteorological agency issued a first “red” warning for extreme heat.
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The Met office said temperatures could exceed 40 ºC on Monday or Tuesday in the south of England for the first time, prompting some schools to say they would remain closed next week.
“This year, for the first time, we have issued a severe weather emergency response in the summer,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“We usually do it in the winter when it’s very cold and it’s dangerous for people to sleep outside in cold weather.”
Meteorologists say Spain is expected to have its second heat wave in less than a month. (AP: Manu Fernandez)
Temperatures are expected to reach 32 degrees in London on Monday, about 10 degrees higher than the city’s mid-July high average.
The highest temperature recorded in the UK is 38.7 degrees, which was set in Cambridge in 2019.
Trying to control fires “a Herculean job”
Several hundred firefighters fought to contain two wildfires in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France. (AP)
The heat wave has caused devastating forest fires in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece, which have devastated thousands of hectares of land and killed several workers since the beginning of the week.
The fire season affected parts of Europe earlier than usual this year after a hot and unusually dry spring that left the ground dry and which authorities attributed to climate change.
Firefighters in the coastal town of Arcachon, in the Gironde region of southwestern France, were fighting to control two wildfires that have devoured more than 24,700 hectares since Tuesday.
“It’s a Herculean job,” said Lt. Col. Olivier Chavatte of the fire and rescue service, which has 1,200 firefighters and five planes in action.
High temperatures and strong winds have complicated firefighting efforts in France. (AP)
Meteo France forecast temperatures of up to 41 degrees in parts of southern France on Sunday, as well as up to 35 in the northwest, with new heat records set for Monday.
In neighboring Spain, firefighters were fighting on Saturday (local time) with a series of fires after days of unusually high temperatures that reached 45.7 degrees.
In Portugal, the meteorological institute forecast temperatures of up to 42ºC without a break before next week.
A tourist bus passes a thermometer that shows 49 degrees Celsius on Gran Via during the second heat wave of the year in Madrid, Spain. (Reuters: Isabel Infantes)
Vulnerable people at higher risk
The nearly week-long heat wave has caused 360 heat-related deaths, Spanish authorities said, while Portugal’s health ministry said 238 people had died between July 7 and 13.
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The World Meteorological Organization said the heat wave would worsen air quality, especially in cities.
“The stable, stagnant atmosphere acts as a cover to trap air pollutants, including particles,” Lorenzo Labrador, a WMO chief scientific officer, told a news conference in Geneva.
“These result in degradation of air quality and adverse health effects, especially for vulnerable people.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also announced that help will be provided to those who sleep poorly in the city, who were expected to be among the most vulnerable to the heat.
Are these types of temperatures normal?
Scientists blame climate change caused by humans for the increase in the frequency of extreme weather such as heat waves, which have also affected parts of China and the United States in recent days.
“Climate change is driving this heat wave, just as it is driving every heat wave now,” said Friederike Otto, a senior professor of climate science at Grantham Institute at Imperial College London.
The heat wave has caused water levels to drop in Britain. (Reuters: Peter Cziborra)
“Emissions of greenhouse gases, derived from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, make heat waves hotter, more durable and more frequent.”
The UK is experiencing “occasional heat waves, but of a lower frequency and intensity than those seen elsewhere in the world,” according to the Met office.
“Heat waves are extreme weather events, but research shows that climate change makes these events more likely,” his website notes.
“A scientific study by the Met Office on the summer heat wave of 2018 in the UK showed that the likelihood of the UK experiencing a summer as hot or hotter than 2018 is just over 1 every 10 “.
ABC / children