A “dangerous” heatwave dominating most popular destinations for Irish holidaymakers across Europe is set to continue throughout this week, with record-breaking temperatures above 46 degrees already felt in Spain and Portugal.
While temperatures are forecast to decline slightly throughout this week in Ireland, following a high of 25.1 degrees recorded in Phoenix Park in Dublin on Sunday, oppressive heat across southern Europe looks set to intensify.
Major heatwaves have already pushed temperatures above 40 degrees in countries including Italy, Spain and Greece, as tourism to the Continent picks up following the end of the Irish school year.
The rising temperatures have prompted local authorities to issue warnings over the risk of wildfires.
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Although temperatures are set to peak midweek in most areas, the extreme heat felt during the weekend has already sparked wildfires in France and Turkey that were not yet extinguished on Monday afternoon.
The majority of France is under an orange heatwave alert, with 200 schools closed or partially closed over the coming days as temperatures are expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Portugal, the town of Mora, 80km east of Lisbon, recorded a temperature of 46.6 degrees on Sunday, the highest temperature ever recorded in the month of June and the country’s fifth-hottest day on record.
A Spanish national record for the month was broken on Saturday in El Granado a town in the Andalusian province of Huelva, where 46 degrees was recorded, according to state meteorological office, Aemet.
The highest temperature previously recorded for June in Spain was 45.2 degrees in Seville in 1965.
Intense heat is expected to continue to dominate Spain until Thursday, according to Aemet, with temperatures above 30 degrees widespread and reaching towards the high 30s in some coastal locations favoured by tourists. The coast south of Alicante is subject to a yellow warning for 36-degree heat, including warm nights, while parts of Majorca will reach 38 degrees.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who was in Seville on Monday for a UN conference, said extreme heat is no longer a rare event and has “become the new normal”.
He called for more ambitious climate action, saying the planet is getting “hotter and more dangerous”.
“No country is immune,” he stated on X.
Elsewhere, water levels on the river Rhine in Germany have lowered during the heatwave, hampering shipping. German authorities have appealed to the public to limit their water use as temperatures climbed to 34 degrees on Monday.
Elsewhere, Italy’s health ministry issued red heatwave alerts for 21 cities including Rome, Venice and Milan, with temperatures expected to reach 41 degrees in Florence on Monday.
The heatwave conditions will continue to affect much of the Continent throughout this week, according to the UK Met Office, which said temperatures are expected to be five to 10 degrees above normal.
Parts of England, including London, are entering a fourth day of a heatwave as Wimbledon got under way. Highs of 34 degrees were anticipated on Monday.
This year’s tennis championships began with the hottest opening day on record, according to the UK Met Office.
Temperatures reached a provisional high of 29.7 degrees at Kew Gardens in west London on Monday afternoon, surpassing the previous record of 29.3 degrees set in June 2001.
Vicki Broad (57) a retired nurse from Swansea, who was the first person in the queue at Wimbledon, said: “The sun has been tough but we’re in the shade now.”
The competition has drawn crowds from across the globe – some managing the weather better than others.
Maria Iniesta (47), a physician from Madrid living in Houston, joked: “It’s been funny to watch the British people sweating – it’s been easy for us.” - Additional reporting: Agencies
