Heatwave in pictures as Europe burns with record-breaking 48°C temperatures forecast

Southern Europe was bracing for more extreme heat on Tuesday, with wildfires tearing through Greece and Spain and temperatures expected to peak as heatwave Charon continues its slow passage across the continent.

People have been struggling to go outside in the heat of the day, with warnings that the soaring temperatures could pose a higher risk of heart attacks and deaths as a result of overnight minimum temperatures.

Thousands of people have been evacuated after wildfires continue to rage for a second day in Greece, as well as in the Swiss Alps and on the Spanish island of La Palma.

Temperatures in Spain nearly hit 45°C yesterday, with the southern cities of Andújar and Jaén in Andalucía hitting 44.8°C and 44.7°C respectively. It comes after temperatures across the globe, in China and the US, surpassed 50°C.

The Italian island of Sardinia is expected to see the peak of the heat this afternoon, with a high of 46°C.

The heatwave is set to intensify this week, causing overnight temperatures to surge and leading to an increased risk of heart attacks and deaths, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Tuesday.

“Temperatures in North America, Asia, and across North Africa and the Mediterranean will be above 40°C for a prolonged number of days this week as the heatwave intensifies,” the WMO said.

Overnight minimum temperatures were also set to reach new highs, according to the WMO, creating risks of increased cases of heart attacks and deaths.

“Whilst most of the attention focuses on daytime maximum temperatures, it is the overnight temperatures which have the biggest health risks, especially for vulnerable populations,” the WMO said.

A researcher in the study of heatwaves said the high temperatures Europe was experiencing were bound to increase.

“The Mediterranean heatwave is big but nothing like what’s been through North Africa,” John Nairn, senior extreme heat Adviser for the WMO said. “It’s developing into Europe at this stage.”

Europe’s highest recorded temperature has been officially verified by the WMO, with a record of 48.8°C in Sicily in August 2021.

On Monday, the European Space Agency warned that the hottest European temperature ever could be recorded, breaking Sicily’s 48.8ºC record.

The WMO has warned that the heatwave in Europe could continue into August, adding that the extreme temperatures have become a new normal as a result of climate change.

The climate advisory group the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit said that the “hell” of heat waves was being experienced worldwide.

“Heat waves in Europe have been given names from the underworld, but the heat hell is worldwide at the moment. These extremes are dangerous,” Gareth Redmond-King, head of the international programme at the unit, said yesterday.

The Foreign Office has issued a warning to tourists travelling to Italy, Spain and Greece as wildfires continue to rage across parts of the continent.

Around 200 people were forced to flee their homes in the Alpine village of Bitsch in Switzerland as firefighters continue to battle a forest fire that began on Monday.

“A major intervention system was quickly put in place. It is still fighting the rapidly spreading fire,” police said in a statement.

“About 150 firefighters are currently fighting tirelessly against the fire which is, for the time being, not yet under control. Work to extinguish the fire continues.”

So far, four small hamlets have been evacuated, and the state broadcaster RTS reported 205 people had been evacuated.

Authorities warned that the blaze could spread further if winds pick up and take days or weeks to extinguish fully.

“During the night, the goal was to contain the fire in the area where the villages had been evacuated,” said Adrienne Bellwald, spokesperson for the police.

“Thankfully the wind has subsided … The situation is calm now, but it could change with the wind.”

Near Athens, fires intensified overnight in the area of Dervenochoria, about 30km north of the capital.

Another fire in the village of Kouvaras, about 17 miles southeast of Athens, which quickly spread yesterday to the coastal towns of Anavyssos, Lagonisi and Saronida, forcing people to flee their homes, had weakened on Tuesday.

However, firefighters are still trying to contain other blazes southeast and west of the Greek capital, with 230 firefighters assisted by 76 fire engines and five helicopters still operating, a Greek fire service official said.

The National Observatory of Athens declared a Level 4 on the wildfire risk alert scale, the most dangerous warning on the metric.

Meanwhile, temperatures across the world continue to sizzle after China reported a high of over 52ºC on Sunday in the northwestern province of Xinjiang.

In California’s Death Valley, the temperature at midnight was recorded at 49ºC, which could be a new record.