Europe exceeds 1,000 deaths due to severe heat wave

Temperatures in parts of Spain reached 45.7 degrees Celsius. Britain is also preparing for the hottest day on record

EFE / EPA / SDIS 33 The heat wave has already killed more than 1,000 Europeans this summer

The old continent, accustomed to more moderate temperatures, is currently facing a severe wave of intense heat. Some European countries such as Spain And the Portugal, recorded an average of 40 degrees Celsius in recent days. As a result of the hot and dry weather, Greece and France had to fight forest fires and hundreds of Europeans died. However, expectations do not indicate that the situation will change in the coming days, and after the weekend, thermometers will continue to record high temperatures and many regions are expected to experience the hottest days of the year in the near future. So far, high temperatures in Portugal and Spain – which clocked 45.7 degrees Celsius – have killed more than 1,000 Europeans. According to a study published in the journal Environmental Research: Climate, the main factor responsible for exacerbating heat waves is climate change.

In Spanish territory, the Meteorological Agency issued high temperature alerts for Sunday with a high of 42 degrees Celsius in Aragon, Navarra and La Rioja. The media also warned that temperatures would remain “extraordinarily high” in the coming days. The lack of rain has also affected the country’s reservoir levels, which are currently at 44% of their capacity, below the historical average of 66% at the time. Forest fires in France reached the limits of 11,000 hectares in the Gironde region, and more than 14,000 people had to be evacuated in an operation involving 1,200 firefighters. French President Emmanuel Macron He also claimed that spring was very dry and that it already accounts for three times more forest area per year than in 2020. In the Great Britain region, the country is expected to live a record temperature between Monday and Tuesday, exceeding 38.7 degrees C.

* Contains information from Reuters