Wildfires, drought and 45 C weather: Europe sizzles in heatwave

World
Europe

Europe sweltered through an intense heatwave on Sunday, with soaring temperatures contributing to forest fires, the closure of nuclear plants and even a threat to the Netherlands' supply of potato fries. Here’s a roundup.

Spain: Fire under control

A top temperature of 42 degrees Celsius was forecast in the southwest region of Extremadura on Sunday, where a wildfire in San Vicente de Alcantara has been brought under control by firefighters, the local fire service said.

The mercury had reached 44 C in the country's south on Saturday, the Spanish Meteorological Agency said.

The rise in temperatures has already claimed the lives of three people who died of heatstroke this week.

People cool off in a fountain at Madrid Rio park in Madrid on August 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

Portugal: 45 C

A temperature of 45 C was forecast in some parts of Portugal on Sunday.

On Saturday, the hottest day for 18 years was recorded at 46.8 C north of Lisbon with weather records broken in several cities.

A forest fire continued to rage on two fronts in Monchique in the country's south on Sunday, with 800 firefighters, supported by 12 water-dropping planes and helicopters working to put it out.

Another forest fire, in central Estremoz, has left six people wounded, two in serious condition.

A man watches a wildfire in Monchique in the Portuguese Algarve, August 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

France: 'Recklessness' warning

In France, 67 out of 101 departments were on heatwave alert with temperatures in the south of the country expected to again peak near 40 C.

Saturday was the hottest day in the country since the infamous heatwave of 2003, in which thousands of mainly elderly people died.

The emergency services complained that, despite public health warnings about keeping cool and hydrated, there was "still quite a lot of recklessness."

People cool down at the Fontaine du Trocadero in front of The Eiffel Tower in Paris on August 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

Italy: Tornado spotted

Several thunderstorms flooded streets in Sicily and Sardinia in the south of Italy on Sunday, cooling down a heatwave that has caused traffic problems on the country's busiest summer weekend on the roads.

Tourists on the Italian island of Pantelleria, near Tunisia, said they had seen a tornado off the coast on Saturday.

Media had previously reported on Saturday that a woman had died from apparent heatstroke on a beach in the northwestern Liguria region.

Members of the Italian Civil Protection distribute water bottles to tourists in front of the Ancient Colosseum in central Rome, August 2, 2018. /VCG Photo

Germany: Rain brings relief

Isolated showers and thunderstorms brought some relief from the heat in parts of Germany this weekend, particularly in the south. However, temperatures are expected to climb again to as high as 39 C in the east on Wednesday.

Sweltering Germans have been flocking to open-air swimming pools across the country, and many pools are expecting record visitor numbers this summer, DPA news agency reported.

A man sits in a rubber duck in the lake Ammersee near the small Bavarian village of Utting, southern Germany on August 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

Britain: Hot until Tuesday

The heat also slightly abated in Britain on Sunday, with the high of just over 30 degrees expected in the south of England, according to the Met Office, which predicted the heatwave would continue until Tuesday.

Public Health England told those in the southeast to stay in the shade and drink lots of water.

Netherlands: Shortage of fries?

While the temperature was down to a near-seasonal 25 C in the Netherlands on Sunday, the country's drought continues to wreak havoc on crops.

Farmers are working night and day to save what they can, the Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, with potato and corn yields hit particularly hard.

Producers have warned that a potato shortage could affect the supply of fries, a Dutch favorite.

(Top image: Two women use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun at the seaside resort of Benidorm, Spain on August 5, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP