Europe Heatwave Sparks Fires and School Closures as Records Fall

A heatwave is gripping several European countries, with soaring temperatures fanning fires, closing schools, and breaking heat records. One expert has described the weather event as 'remarkable' for its timing, size, and extreme temperatures, warning that more heatwaves like this will likely occur across the world because of human-induced climate change.

From the United Kingdom to Germany, authorities are grappling with the heat, which in some parts is 5 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for this time of year. Wildfires in Türkiye have forced more than 50,000 people to be evacuated from five regions in the western province of Izmir. Scientists say human-induced climate change is making the country's coastal regions hotter and drier, with fires hitting coastal areas hard in recent years.

In Seville, where global leaders were meeting for a United Nations conference on Monday, it was forecast to reach 42C. In France, some 200 schools will be partially closed over the next three days because of the heat. France's national meteorological service, Meteo France, put a record 84 of 101 regions across the country on orange alert until at least mid-week. The first significant forest fire of the season burnt through 400 hectares of woodlands on Sunday and Monday in Aude in the country's south.

Italy's health ministry put 21 cities under red alert, warning people of heat-related health risks regardless of their prior condition. Spain is heading for its hottest June on record, the country's meteorological service said. The country appeared to hit a new high for June on Saturday, when 46 degrees Celsius was recorded in the southern province of Huelva. Spain's national average of 28C on Sunday set a record for a high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950.

Portugal also recorded a record high for June at the weekend, when 46.6C was recorded at Mora, 100 kilometres east of Lisbon. German authorities were urging people to limit their use of water as temperatures climbed to 34C in some parts of the country's west and south-west.

The strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasts and deputy director of the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Samantha Burgess, said it was a unique heat event for several reasons. She said the temperatures seen across large parts of Europe would usually be seen in late July or early August. 'It's remarkable for the intensity of the maximum temperatures forecast over a large part of Western Europe, it's remarkable for the geographical extent … and it's remarkable for its earliness as well,' Dr Burgess told the ABC.

She said that human-induced climate change would likely result in 'more heatwaves that are more intense, that last longer and that impact a larger region'. '2024 was the warmest year on record, followed by 2023, and 2025 is on track to be probably the third warmest year on record,' she said. 'The only way that we are going to reduce future warming of our planet … is rapid greenhouse gas emissions reductions and getting to net zero as quickly as possible.'

The Wimbledon tennis tournament had its hottest-ever first day of play on record, with temperatures hitting 33C on Monday at the All England Club in London. The previous record of 29.3C was set in 2001. London's average daytime temperature in June is 21.5C.

Tennis enthusiasts fanned themselves or sought shade from the blazing sun as the first day of matches got underway. When temperatures reach 30.1C or above, players can take an extended 10-minute break during their matches. The hot weather is expected to ease across the UK and Europe from mid-week.