#Western #Europe #withering #heatwave
Firefighters battled wildfires in Spain and Portugal on Tuesday as western Europe faced its second heatwave in less than a month, threatening glaciers in the Alps and worsening drought conditions.
The hot air mass, which has caused temperatures to rise to over 40 degrees Celsius in large parts of the Iberian Peninsula since Sunday, should spread north and east in the coming days.
“We expect it to get worse,” World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Clare Nullis said at a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
“This heat is accompanied by drought. We have very, very dry soil at the moment,” she said.
“The glaciers in the Alps are really being punished at the moment. It’s been a very bad season for the glaciers. And we’re still relatively early in the summer.”
Last week, an avalanche triggered by the collapse of the largest glacier in the Italian Alps in unseasonably warm temperatures killed 11 people.
Heat waves have become more frequent due to climate change, scientists say. As global temperatures rise over time, heat waves are expected to intensify.
In Spain, around 300 firefighters, supported by 17 planes and helicopters, battled a wildfire in the eastern region of Extremadura that has devastated 2,500 hectares of land, local officials said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised “more resources” to fight wildfires fueled by “the climate emergency the planet is going through” in a speech in Parliament.
– “It’s Hell” –
Temperatures are expected to rise further in Spain through Thursday, with highs of up to 44 degrees Celsius expected in the Guadalquivir Valley in Seville in the south.
Spain’s Health Ministry warned that the “intense heat” could affect people’s “vital functions” and cause problems such as heat stroke.
It advised people to drink water frequently, wear light clothing and stay in the shade or in air-conditioned places “as long as possible”.
“It’s hell,” said Dania Arteaga, a 43-year-old cleaning lady at a shop in central Madrid, sweat covering her forehead.
In neighboring Portugal, firefighters battled a blaze that has ravaged around 2,000 hectares of land in the central municipality of Ourem since Thursday.
The fire was brought under control on Monday but flared up again on Tuesday morning.
With temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in much of the country on Tuesday, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa warned of “maximum caution”.
The government has declared a “state of alert” for wildfires across the country until at least Friday to increase the preparedness of firefighters, police and emergency services.
– ‘People at risk’ –
The current situation brings back memories of devastating forest fires in 2017 that killed over 100 people in Portugal.
Local officials in the town of Sintra near Lisbon closed a number of tourist attractions including palaces and monuments in a verdant mountain range popular with visitors as a precaution.
In France, temperatures that hit 30 degrees Celsius in much of the country on Monday could rise to 39 degrees Celsius in some areas on Tuesday, national weather service Meteo France predicted.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called on all ministers to be ready to deal with the consequences of the heatwave, which is expected to last up to 10 days.
“The heat is affecting people’s health very quickly, particularly that of the most vulnerable,” her office said in a statement.
The UK has issued an extreme heat warning, with temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius in the south-east of the country in the coming days.
The extreme heat warning has been classified as “amber”, the second highest warning level, indicating a “high impact” on daily life and people.
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