From Paris to Lisbon, Europe gasps in the grip of heat

Extreme heat continues to grip Europe in an unprecedented grip, causing the first casualties, putting pressure on hospitals and infrastructure, and pushing authorities to take drastic measures.

In France , the red alert led to the closure of the Eiffel Tower and over 1,300 public schools , while in Spain and Portugal thermometers exceeded 46 degrees, setting new records.

In London , Wimbledon began with the hottest opening day on record. It was the second heatwave to hit parts of the UK in the past month, according to the Met Office, which noted that in June, “average daily maximum temperatures were well above the long-term meteorological average, with England recording the third-highest average temperature and the UK the sixth-highest since 1884.”

Evacuations continue in Turkey due to large fires, with outbreaks also threatening Greece. Athens has already activated the emergency plan to contain them.

French cities are trying to alleviate the situation by offering free swimming pools and museums , like in Marseille and Lyon. But the heat is not the only problem: in Savoy, violent storms have caused landslides and mudslides that have interrupted the railway line between Paris and Milan for days , as well as in Italy, while in Austria over 100 people have been evacuated due to a landslide in the Tyrol.

In Southern Europe, the situation is even more critical. June was the hottest month ever recorded in Spain , with an average of 23.6 degrees and peaks of 46°C in Huelva. Catalonia broke the record for heat-related deaths for the month of June, while in Portugal the 46.6°C recorded in Mora broke all previous records. In Barcelona, ​​free water and hats are being distributed to protect residents and tourists, while tropical nights with lows above 25 degrees are feared.

On the contrary, temperatures are falling in Portugal.

Northern Europe is not spared either: in Holland, schools are bringing forward school closing times, while in Germany , “ hitzefrei ” is back, a special permit for heat-related absences. In Austria , Caritas has opened 23 “air-conditioned oases” for the homeless and vulnerable.

Meanwhile, even outside the continent, exceptional data are being recorded: in Japan, June was the hottest ever recorded since statistics began, with an average of 2.34 degrees higher and sea temperatures well above normal. The climate emergency is becoming global.

"Due to human-induced global warming, extreme heat is becoming more frequent and intense. It is something we must learn to live with," said Clare Nullis , spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization (UN agency), at a press conference in Geneva. Over Europe, she explained, a high pressure system is persisting, "trapping hot air from North Africa over the region."

And to complicate matters are the record temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea , which during this period averages 26.01 degrees centigrade (data from the European Copernicus programme).