1 year ago
24
Extreme heat and wildfire alerts have been issued across Europe as a deadly heatwave sweeps across the continent, causing at least two deaths and forcing schools in France to shut.
Temperatures in parts of Spain and Portugal reached a scorching 46C on the weekend as Italy and France brace for the worst of the persistent heat to come.
Late last week a high-pressure system started to bring temperatures up to 10C higher than normally expected at this time in summer, with the system moving west across Europe from the Iberian peninsula.
In France, 68 of the country’s 101 departments remain on an orange heatwave alert and a further 16, including the Paris basin, are on a red alert as the temperature reached 38C on Tuesday afternoon.
Red alerts for heat have also been issued by the Italian ministry of health for 16 cities, including Rome and Venice.
What is a heat dome? Weather system explained
Large swathes of the UK and Europe are sweltering through a heatwave, which could be exacerbated by a heat dome.
Here is how that weather phenomenon works:
Rachel Clun1 July 2025 16:03
Two deaths blamed on heatwave
The deaths of two workers, in Spain and Italy, have been blamed on the extreme heatwave.
In Spain, authorities are investigating the death of a Barcelona street sweeper who had been cleaning the city’s old town centre on Saturday afternoon. The woman died later that day at home, her sister told the Antena 3 TV station.
Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert on Tuesday, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause, but heat was suspected.
Rachel Clun1 July 2025 15:41
Watch: Simon Calder explains your travel rights during a heatwave
Rachel Clun1 July 2025 15:36
Spain and Portugal record record highs of 46C and above
Spanish and Portuguese authorities have confirmed record-breaking June temperatures.
A record high of 46C was reported in the town of El Granado in southern Spain on Saturday, according to Spain’s national weather service.
In Portugal, authorities confirmed the 46.6C reached in the town of Mora, on Sunday was also a new June record.
Rachel Clun1 July 2025 15:35
'Extreme heatwave' continues to grip Europe
An “extreme heatwave” continues to grip much of Europe, triggering a series of weather alerts across the continent.
The continent is enduring its first major heatwave of the summer, with two deaths linked to extreme heat in Italy and hundreds of schools closed in France.
Dozens of heat warnings are in place across France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and well as the Balkans, according to weather aggregator MeteoAlarm.
“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal,” UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned. “The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous – no country is immune.”
Read the full list of European countries experiencing a heatwave here:
Rachel Clun1 July 2025 15:30
