The UK issues a weather warning
The British meteorologist issued its first red warning of “extreme heat” for parts of England on Monday and Tuesday when temperatures are expected to reach record highs.
A man finds shade in London. The British Meteorological Office says temperatures will not peak until next week. Credit: AP
“Exceptional temperatures, perhaps records, are likely to be early next week,” Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said.
“The nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas. This is likely to cause widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.”
The highest temperature recorded in Britain was 38.7 degrees in Cambridge on July 25, 2019. That record could fall.
Hannah Cloke, a climate expert at the University of Reading, said the heat wave showed climate change is here and there is an urgent need to adapt.
“We are seeing these problems now and they will get worse. We need to do something now,” he said. “It’s harder to deal with that kind of temperature in the UK because we’re just not used to it.”
A Canadair CL-415 firefighter, flown from Italy, in action near Gesteira de Baixo in Portugal. Credit: Getty Images
Portugal on Thursday recorded a high of 47 degrees in the northern city of Pinhao, just below the record.
In the southwestern region of France in the Gironde, famous for its vineyards in Bordeaux and the idyllic resorts of the Atlantic coast, 11,300 people have been evacuated since the forest fires around Dune du Pilat and Landiras.
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Some 7,350 hectares of land have been burned and authorities said the fires had not yet stabilized.
In Spain, forest fires that have burned parts of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, and the central region of Castilla y León, forced more small towns to be evacuated on Friday. The flames threatened a 16th-century monastery and a national park.
In Catalonia, in the northeast, the authorities suspended camping and sports activities in around 275 villages and towns to prevent fire risks and restrict agricultural work with machinery.