How Europe’s heatwave is impacting Spain, Italy, and other popular holiday destinations
Meteorologists are warning temperatures will hit new record highs across southern Europe this week.
The latest forecasts show peaks of 44C (111F) on multiple days, with temperatures consistently in the high 30s and low 40s across the region.
The Foreign Office has issued extreme weather warnings for Britons travelling to Italy, Spain or Greece, advising them to heed local advice but that they won’t be compensated if they choose to cancel their trips.
The European Space Agency has also warned other countries, including France, Germany and Poland, will face extreme heat this week.
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It is forecast to intensify in the next two days and could last into August, the World Meteorological Organisation has said.
A new anticyclone, named Charon after the Greek mythological boatman who ferries souls to the underworld, is behind the heatwave.
So, what’s going on where you are heading on holiday?
Check the latest weather forecast where you’re going here
Pic: AP
Spain
The heatwave in Spain is still set to intensify, with temperatures predicted to reach 44C in the Guadalquivir valley near Seville.
It comes as wildfires continue to burn out of control on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma. More than 4,000 residents were forced to flee their homes on Saturday.
The fire has affected more than 4,600 hectares (11,300 acres) of forest in the north of the island.
More than 300 firefighters, nine water-carrying helicopters and two planes are being used to try to extinguish the blaze.
Spain’s Aemet weather agency said the heatwave this week “will affect a large part of the countries bordering the Mediterranean”.
The agency says it expects temperatures to drop sometime on Wednesday.
Italy
Hot weather alerts have been issued for at least nine cities in Italy as the country braces for record temperatures.
Highs of 45C (113F) have been predicted.
The alerts are in place for major tourist destinations including Rome, Florence and Bologna as well as Palermo in Sicily and Bari in the southeast of the peninsula.
Pic: AP
Italy’s health minister Orazio Schillaci urged people to take care when visiting tourist hotspots including Rome’s famous ruins.
“Going to the Colosseum when it is 43C (109.4F) is not advisable, especially for an elderly person,” he told Il Messaggero newspaper, saying people should stay under cover and avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm.
Meteorologists have said Europe’s highest recorded temperature of 48.8C (119.8F), registered in Sicily two years ago, could be exceeded in the coming days on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Power outages were hitting parts of Rome as electric grids struggled due to heavier demand from air conditioners.
Greece
Temperatures in Greece are predicted to keep rising this week before hitting highs of 43C (109F) in Athens on Saturday as a second heatwave hits.
Wildfires in two areas around the capital have triggered evacuation orders for at least six seaside communities and the Greek meteorological service has warned of a high risk of fire this week.
The first blaze, which swept through forest land in Dervenochoria 19 miles north of Athens, is still intensifying.
Another fire, which began in the village of Kouvaras 17 miles southeast of the Greek capital, has spread to the coastal towns of Anavyssos, Lagonisi and Saronida and forced people to flee their homes.
Pic: AP
The country’s weather agency says the heat won’t change too dramatically before Wednesday, with highs of 39C (102F) in the east and 41C (106F) in the west.
Pic: AP
But it predicts that from Thursday a new heatwave will engulf most areas of the country, with minimum temperatures reaching up to 43C (109F) on the mainland, 41C (106F) on the Ionian islands and 38C (100F) on the Aegean islands.
Tours of the Acropolis monuments have resumed normal opening hours after closing for three days during the hottest part of the day over the weekend.
Cyprus
Similarly to Greece, a second heatwave at the end of this week will bring temperatures of 40C (104F) to Cyprus.
Those flying into Paphos can expect temperatures in the early 30s, with Larnaca in the north slightly higher.
According to the Cyprus Department of Meteorology: “The maximum temperature is expected to reach around 40 degrees over inland areas and around 32 degrees Celsius over the highest mountainous areas.
“During Friday and Saturday the temperature is expected to increase further.”
Turkey
Temperatures in Antalya are currently the highest in Turkey at 39C (102F), followed closely by Adana at 37C (98F).
It is not included in the Foreign Office’s extreme weather travel advice, but a second heatwave is due to hit elsewhere by the weekend.
Istanbul, Turkey
Croatia
Similarly in Croatia, holidaymakers can expect temperatures in the mid-to-low 30s, with areas around Split currently the hottest. The country will hit by even warmer weather as the weekend approaches but is not included in UK heightened travel advice.
Wildfires in Grebastica on the coast caused damage last week.
Read more:
British holidaymakers are changing their plans as temperatures surge
France
Extreme temperatures are not expected in most of France according to the national forecaster Meteo France.
An orange weather warning, the second-highest alert, has been issued for some areas along the Mediterranean coast.
Temperatures are predicted to reach 34-36C around Marseille by Wednesday, with Paris staying slightly cooler at 29C (84F).
Poland
Storm warnings are in place across southern Poland.
Near Krakow, forecasters predict severe thunder and lightning as well as winds of up to 55mph (90km) and 2 inches (50mm) of rain.
Temperatures are set to peak at 26C (79F) on Wednesday following highs of 35C (95F) last week.
Germany
Forecasters predict temperatures will also rise slightly in Germany.
Highs of 25C (77F) are expected while yellow weather warnings are in place in some regions due to wind gusts.
USA and Mexico
Outside of Europe – southern US states and northern areas of Mexico are also experiencing heatwave conditions, with Phoenix in Arizona expected to surpass its hottest-ever temperature on Tuesday after 43.3C (110F) was recorded on Monday.
Soaring temperatures in California and other parts of the south are due to continue into next week.
Death Valley, California
The east coast has been hit by flash floods, with at least three dead in Pennsylvania, and storms in the Midwest have left people in Kansas and Missouri without power.
Several flights were cancelled and delayed around New York on Sunday, with Canadian wildfires still causing heat and air pollution issues in the north of the US.
UK
While Europe is sweltering, forecasters say there is a low chance of the UK having a heatwave this summer, with the country not seeing any hot summer weather until mid-August.
Countries in South and Southeast Asia have been coping with a weeks-long heatwave which has seen record temperatures sweep parts of the region.
Pupils in the Philippines, India and Bangladesh have been told to stay at home and learn remotely due to a severe health risk.
Schools in Cambodia have also cut back on their hours.
Cambodia faces its hottest temperature in 170 years, according to meteorologists – as high as 43C (109F).
Bangkok in Thailand has reached 40C (104 F), but the heat index is said to have topped 50 C (122 F) due to the heat being trapped among the mass of buildings.
The United Nations Children’s Fund warned in April that the heat could put the lives of millions of children at risk and asked people who care for them to take extra precautions.
A spokesperson for UNICEF said around 243 million children were exposed to hotter and longer heatwaves.
A woman drinks from a public tap in India. Pic: AP
They said the increased heat was “putting them at risk of a multitude of heat-related illnesses, and even death”.
Thirty people in Thailand have died from heatstroke in the past month, according to data from the country’s health ministry.
People are being advised to avoid outdoor activities and to stay hydrated.
Several towns in Myanmar were included on lists of the hottest spots globally last month, with temperatures reaching 48.2C (118F) in at least one case.
People stock up on water in India. Pic: AP
Parts of eastern India also experienced their hottest April on record.
Kerala, on India’s west coast, this week instructed all schools and colleges to close until Monday, while influencers in Bangladesh have encouraging people to plant trees in response to the record heat.
Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, said there were three factors for heatwaves: a naturally-occurring climate phenomenon known as El Nino, an increase in global temperatures, and human-induced climate change.
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Brazil is currently experiencing another climate phenomenon – La Nina – with 39 dead and 68 missing in floods across the country.
More than 24,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the flooding.
Scientists believe the naturally-occurring phenomenon has intensified due to the impact of climate change.
China has been branded “a bully” and an international lawbreaker after its ships blasted Philippine vessels with water cannon in the South China Sea.
Sky News was on board the BRP Bagacay when a Chinese vessel fired water at it, causing significant damage.
Philippine coastguard spokesman Jay Tarriela told Sky News that this week’s confrontation was the first time China had used “such aggression” against their ships.
“The metal parts and the railing were bent. The canopy was also destroyed. So this came as a surprise for us that China never hesitated to use brute force,” he said.
“It completely justifies us calling The People’s Republic of China a bully country.”
Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine Coastguard, told Sky News that China is a ‘bully’
The Philippine coastguard was on a resupply mission to the Scarborough Shoal to deliver food and fuel to Philippine fishermen when they were struck.
The submerged reef lies in disputed waters. China claims sovereignty over the reef but it is much closer to the Philippines and lies within its legally recognised exclusive economic zone.
The vessel Sky News was on board was the closest the coastguard had ever been to the shoal – just 600 metres away from it.
Asked if the mission to the shoal was a provocative move by the Philippine coastguard, Commodore Tarriela denied they were “poking the bear” but rather “driving the bear out of our own territory”.
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Sky witnesses China-Philippine confrontation
The Philippines has been stepping up its patrols in the area under the instruction of President Bongbong Marcos, and reasserting its claim to the shoal in recent months.
It has raised the spectre of open conflict. While neither side currently wants that, there is now a greater threat of open conflict.
Asked what the end game was for the Philippines, Commodore Tarriela said their priority was to “tell the world” about China’s aggression.
China’s coastguard fired water at Philippine coastguard vessel BRP Bagacay while Sky was onboard
He said their secondary goal was to ensure “like-minded states” also made China “fall in line and respect international law”.
“Otherwise, it’s everybody’s loss,” he added.
Read more:
US accuses Beijing of ‘bullying’ in South China Sea
China building airstrip on disputed island, satellite images suggest
Philippine government policy is not to resist using water cannon against Chinese vessels – and Commodore Tarriela insisted that policy remains in place after the confrontation.
The government also remains intensely determined to protect the waters it believes it has every right to operate in.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
“We’re not going to yield and we’re not going to surrender a square inch of our territory,” Commodore Tarriela insisted.
Beijing has called the action its own coastguard took as “necessary”.
Speaking at the Chinese foreign ministry’s daily news conference, spokesperson Lin Jian described the coastguard’s conduct as “professional, proper, and lawful”.
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