The nations of southern Europe are going through their second heat wave in as many months as temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius in some parts.
Key points:
- This Thursday’s public thermometers showed that the temperature was rising to 46ºC in Spain
- The European Union has urged member states to prepare for this summer’s wildfires
- Scientists blame climate change caused by humans for increasing the frequency of extreme weather
Locals and tourists from Spain, Italy and Romania went en masse to the lakes, beaches and springs of the city to find a break from the extreme heat.
Temperatures in many parts of Spain have exceeded 40ºC for several days and are expected to continue until next week.
This Thursday’s public thermometers showed that temperatures were rising to 46ºC in Plaza de España in the Spanish city of Seville, while people were bathing in the springs.
The heat was so extreme in Seville, one of the hottest cities in Europe, that some unions called for workers to be sent home this week.
Forecasters say the heat wave in Spain will last at least until the weekend. (AP: Manu Fernandez)
But many had to keep working despite the dizzying temperatures.
Children play in a city fountain before sunset in Bucharest, Romania. (AP: Vadim Ghirda)
The European Union has urged member states to prepare for this summer’s wildfires as the continent faces another extreme climate change that scientists say is caused by climate change.
Temperatures have risen in the mid-40s in Seville. (Reuters: Jon Nazca)
Scientists blame climate change caused by humans for the increase in the frequency of extreme weather such as heat waves, which have also affected parts of China and the United States in recent days.
People cool off on an urban beach in Madrid Rio Park in Madrid, Spain. (AP: Manu Fernandez)
A study in the journal Nature last week found that the number of heat waves in Europe has risen three to four times faster than in other mid-northern latitudes, such as the United States and Canada, due to much of the airflow. the current splits into two parts over longer periods.
The Rhone Glacier in Switzerland is covered with blankets to protect it from the sun. (AP: Urs Flueeler / Keystone)
“Europe is badly affected by changes in atmospheric circulation,” said co-author Kai Kornhuber, a climate scientist at Columbia University.
A dog tries to reach the water of a pond for a drink in Madrid, Spain. (AP: Paul White)
“It’s a heat wave point.”
A tourist cools on a lake in the Cueva del Gato Natural Park in Benaojan, Spain. (Reuters: Jon Nazca)
The caretakers of the Madrid Zoo fed pandas and bears with watermelon paddles, seals with frozen sardines and lions with frozen meat buckets.
A lion enjoys his frozen treatment. (AP: Bernat Armangue)
Some Europeans welcomed the heat.
People have been taking advantage of public sources. (AP: Luca Bruno)
In Catania, on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, tourists and locals gathered in cafes to eat granite, a frozen dessert, and jumped into the sea to cool off.
People cool by the sea in Catania, Italy. (Reuters: Antonio Parrinello)
“The heat here is a little tired, but I think it’s the least tired we face this year, I put up with it with great pleasure,” said Pierpaola, a neighbor of Catania.
Reuters / AP