Heat Apocalypse: Europe Struggles with Scorching Heatwave, Massive Wildfires

A persistent heatwave has fueled wildfires that have burned thousands of hectares of forest in France and Spain, while Britain is likely to see its hottest day in history.

The deadliest of the fires were recorded in France's Gironde area in the southwest. As of Monday, hot winds-sparked fires had already scorched 14,300 hectares (35,000 acres) of land, and 24,000 people had evacuated from the area, per CNN.

The French authorities have sent over 1,700 firefighters to extinguish the burning forests. Since the beginning of the operation, 12 firemen have suffered minor injuries, according to the Gironde regional fire and rescue department.

Meteorologist François Gourand told AFP that some southwestern areas of the country will experience "a heat apocalypse,"

Record-Breaking Temperatures Across Europe

Experts predict the brutal heatwave in Western Europe may reach its climax early this week.

According to France's national weather service, monthly minimum temperature records might be broken nationwide on Monday. There are nine locations, including Rostrenen in Brittany, northwest France, where the record has stood since 1968, where the monthly minimums appear to be record-breaking.

Wildfires in Spain devastated the northern region of Galicia and the central area of Castile and León on Sunday. Firefighters in the southeast Málaga province's Mijas contained the fire and declared that evacuees could go back to their homes.

Only eight days with average daily temperatures below the sum of the summer averages have occurred in France since May. Data from Météo-France indicated the national daily average temperatures for the remaining 39 days have been higher than the seasonal averages recorded between 1991 and 2020.

According to information from the national meteorological institute, the drought that began before the heat wave in Portugal has worsened. At the end of June, 96 % of the mainland was already experiencing a severe or extreme drought.

Spain's weather service also issued extreme heat warnings on Sunday per Reuters. Forecasters predicted peaks of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) in Aragon, Navarra, and La Rioja's northern districts. However, the agency cautioned that temperatures would persist to be "abnormally high" after the heat wave would end on Monday.

Academics at the EU Commission warned the UK and over half of Europe's territory are in danger of drought. The drought in parts of Europe is "critical," according to the Joint Research Centre, as the "winter-spring precipitation shortfall... was aggravated by early heatwaves in May and June."

The research also indicated that the water supply may become "compromised" in the upcoming months.

Climate Change Will Soon Make Heatwaves the Norm

Due to human-induced climate change, heat waves are now more common, more powerful, and linger 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.

Heatwaves will soon become the norm, according to Enrique Sanchez, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry at The University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain per BBC.

Sanchez warned: "In the long term, I mean in the following years, there is no way that the temperatures are going to [not] increase, so heat wave events will become more and more common... all along Europe.

The French government last month announced the creation of a 500 million euro fund to "regreen" cities and reduce the effects of global warming, France 24 reported.

Tags

France, Portugal, Europe, Spain, Uk, Wildfire