NEWS CENTER – France is battling a new heatwave this week. The meteorological service Météo-France forecasts temperatures as high as 38 degrees Celsius locally in the southwestern part of the country and in the Rhône Valley. Therefore, temperatures will remain at a similarly high level for eight to ten days. It’s unclear whether the heatwave will take the proportions of the hot summer of 2003, when about 15,000 people died in France. An unusually early heatwave, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, had reached France in June.
In Southern Europe, the heatwave is causing forest fires in many countries. On the Atlantic coast of France, emergency services rescued thousands of people from the spreading flames.
Meteorologists in Great Britain are also warning of unusually high temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in parts of the country this week. The highest temperature ever measured in England was 38.7 degrees Celsius, recorded on 25 July 2019 in the botanical gardens in the eastern English city of Cambridge.
Drought situation worsens in GERMANY
High temperatures of up to 36 degrees are expected in Germany in the coming days, especially in the middle and south of the country. Only the coast is cloudy and relatively cool: Individual showers are possible in the north, with temperatures between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius, according to the RTL meteorology department. There is also a slight risk of thunderstorms in the low mountain ranges of the East and Bavaria.
According to forecasts, temperatures will drop again in other parts of the country towards the end of the week. A new intense heatwave is on the horizon from Sunday. Next Monday, the 40 degree mark could be broken across the Saar, Moselle, Middle and Upper Rhine, as well as Kurpfalz and Kraichgau. Temperatures of 30 degrees and above are also possible in northern Germany.
Due to the constant heat, the drought situation in Germany is getting worse. The German Weather Service (DWD) speaks of a severe drought in all regions except the extreme north and extreme south. “Some areas haven’t even had a drop this month,” says DWD meteorologist Jacqueline Kernn.
Drought lasting more than a week in Italy
There has been a drought in Italy for weeks. It has rained less than usual this year, especially in the north of the country. There is an increased alert level in some parts of Sicily.
There is also a risk of forest fires in parts of Sardinia. The island also reports large swarms of locusts. Experts estimate that the insects will invade an area of 60,000 hectares. According to entomologist Ignazio Floris of the Sassari University of Sardinia, the locust swarms are caused by drought.
PORTUGAL FIGHTING FOREST FIRES
Weeks of drought and heat combined with strong winds are also promoting the spread of fires in Spain. In the municipality of Las Hurdes, close to the Portuguese border, the flames burned about 3,500 hectares of land. In 16 of the 17 regions, the Aemet weather service issued an alert this Wednesday for temperatures as high as 44 degrees in the shade.
The second heatwave in Spain this year will likely last until the beginning of next week. This would make it one of the longest since recordings began in 1975.
In Portugal, too, the fire brigade and civil defense are dealing with occasional forest fires well above 40 degrees Celsius, especially in the center of the country. The Italian civil defense said it had sent two firefighting aircraft to the country after Portugal requested support through the EU’s civil defense mechanism.
