With a sweltering heatwave hanging over most of the Northern Hemisphere, mercury temperature exceeds 40°C for the first time in various parts of Europe. As a consequence, the drought intensified and countries are now ravaged by wildfires. The air temperature reaches 40C in Paris, Germany is having its hottest day of the year, the unprecedented heatwave in the UK and the Netherlands has recorded its hottest 19 July ever, with 38.9C in Maastricht. The forest fires in Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal continue to burn further south.

Heatwave

Many sites broke records across England. Wales recorded 37.1°C today and breaks previous records, Hawarden in Flintshire has now provisionally reached 37.1°C. 33.0°C today sets a record as the highest air temperature at Phoenix Park, Dublin in Ireland. The temperature in Scotland rose to 34.8°C obliterating the previous records. Aboyne, Scotland reaches 30.3C beating the previous record of 30.1C recorded in 2018. UK, London Heathrow reported a temperature of 40.2°C for the first time and the latest peak high stands at 40.3C in Coningsby. Southern Turkey is also affected by high temperatures >45C In France, temperatures at night reached 30 degrees Celsius. The Pointe de la Hague station recorded its warmest day (1921-2022, 101 years of data) in the middle of the night at 32.8C. This is a highly unusual event. This will be the warmest night on record for tens of millions of people in Western Europe. Overnight temperature records will inevitably be broken by large margins.

Wildfires

281 deaths were reported in Portugal & Spain as temperatures surged above 40C. In Spain presently, there are over 30 fires, 20 of which are still out of control and destroying nearly 60,000 hectares of forest. The country is already enduring a severe heat wave, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. Five people died and 15 were injured because of the wildfires, according to news reports from Monday. A wildfire has erupted in Pentali, Athen’s suburb, and Greek officials have ordered residents to evacuate. In France, more than 2,000 firefighters from throughout the region are battling blazing wildfires in the Gironde region of the country’s southwest. Europe’s Biggest Sand Dune, the Famous “Dune Du Pilat” in the grip of flames in France Amid Record Heatwaves is also reported. London fire brigade declares a major incident as several houses burned to the ground in Wennington.

Wildfires across Germany july 2022
A total of 50 wildfires are still raging across Germany with Sundern-Stemel being the most affected region.

 

There are more than 50 wildfires currently raging in Germany destroying thousands of acres of forests as the drought intensifies. Among them, a major forest fire broke out in Sundern-Stemel. In Stemel, a large forest area that is difficult for the firefighter to access is on fire. The Sundern wildfire is now over 0.05 sqkm and growing. According to the current reports, a total of 10 people were injured across Germany.

With clothes ablaze, a Spanish man was filmed barely escaping wildfire

Trees are on fire at Dartford Heath, along a highway east of London, as the UK experiences drought and heatwave.

Due to the extreme heatwave and wildfires across Europe, there is a possibility of water reserves on verge of running dry and a prolonged drought.