Southern Europe was sweltering under relentless and life-threatening heat, fueling wildfires that have left at least two people dead.
Spain and France were expected to suffer the most, with forecasters warning that temperatures in some places would surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The extreme heat is the result of a large high-pressure system drawing in warm, dry air over the continent — and could last through at least Monday for many places.
Here’s what you need to know about the wildfires and extreme heat gripping Europe this week.
Spain
Nearly 1,000 soldiers were deployed to battle wildfires around the country, Spain’s national military emergency unit said on Tuesday morning. It shared images on social media of firefighters running hoses through a burning forest and emergency trucks on the move.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, wrote on X that a fire in the Madrid region had left one man dead. Around the city of Madrid, the air was filled with smoke, and the regional government said 180 people had been evacuated from residential developments.
The blazes have prompted the evacuations of hundreds of people from their homes in that area and at least two others, León, in the northwest, and Cádiz, in the south.
High-speed train services were suspended between Madrid and Galicia, and between Santiago de Compostela and Ourense, because of a fire, according to a social media post on Tuesday from ADIF, which helps manage Spain’s railway infrastructure.
Spain’s national meteorological agency issued red-level “extreme risk” alerts for five regions as forecasters warned that temperatures would soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). In parts of the Córdoba and Seville countryside, temperatures were expected to peak at 44 degrees Celsius, or 111 degrees Fahrenheit, on Tuesday.
France
A wildfire in the Aude region of southwestern France killed one person and injured several others, including a number of firefighters and civilians, the local government said in a statement on Sunday night.
On Monday alone, 80 weather stations broke August records, 58 of them record highs. In Bordeaux, the mercury peaked at 41.6 degrees Celsius, or about 107 Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the region.
Searing conditions persisted on Tuesday, and red alerts remained in place for 14 departments through Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius (just over 107 degrees Fahrenheit). Météo-France, the French weather service, said the southwest and the Rhône Valley would remain especially hot, with the heat wave expanding north and northeast.
Portugal
Several wildfires were burning in Portugal on Tuesday, according to a government tracker. The Portuguese authorities wrote on X that they were seeking assistance from Morocco to help fight the fires, after two leased Canadair aircraft broke down.
The European Commission’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service had said on Monday that more than 1,200 fire personnel and aerial units were battling a large blaze near Trancoso, a historic area in the center of the country, that had burned more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres).
The Portuguese weather service issued orange-level heat alerts for much of the country on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to climb above 40 degrees Celsius. On Monday, temperatures hit 44.6 degrees Celsius (over 112 degrees Fahrenheit) in Elvas, in eastern central Portugal.
Italy
On Tuesday, the health ministry placed 11 cities — including Florence and Milan — under the highest-level heat alert, indicating conditions dangerous even for healthy, active individuals. Forecasters were predicting temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) later in the week.
Britain
Highs of 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) were expected this week, particularly in central and southern parts of England and Wales, where the U.K. Health Security Agency issued amber heat health alerts — its second tier warning out of three — through Wednesday.
Outlook
Extreme temperatures have gripped much of Western Europe since Friday. According to Spain’s meteorological service, AEMET, the heat wave could continue at least through Monday. Temperatures will then begin to drop, the agency said, but will still remain high, in some cases exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
In France, the intense heat will ease slightly in the south, but rise in the northeast to around 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. But a renewed peak is forecast for the weekend — particularly on Friday and Saturday — when the southwest is expected to once again reach 40 degrees Celsius, according to Météo-France.
Britain is also forecast to remain hot, with the Met Office predicting that warm and humid conditions will persist through Sunday.
Aritz Parra contributed reporting.
Nazaneen Ghaffar is a Times reporter on the Weather team.
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
The post What to Know About the Heat Wave in Southern Europe appeared first on New York Times.
