Europe is bracing for another punishing heatwave as temperatures soar towards 42C and the threat of devastating wildfires grows across the continent. Spain is expected to face some of the most extreme conditions, with Cordoba forecast to reach a blistering 42C and widespread highs around 40C in some inland areas.
France is also set to swelter, with temperatures climbing into the high 30s across large areas and Bordeaux potentially reaching 39C. Italy and parts of Central and Eastern Europe will also experience intense heat as the scorching conditions spread eastwards.
Fifth heatwave of a record-breaking summer
The latest blast marks Europe's fifth heatwave of a record-breaking summer, which has already fuelled destructive fires and widespread drought. More than 550,000 hectares of land have been scorched by wildfires across the continent this year.
Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) at ECMWF, warned: "Climate change is increasingly bringing the kinds of hot and dry conditions that favour large, high-intensity wildfires in southern Europe while extending the fire season northwards."
Where will temperatures be hottest?
A Ventusky weather map shows temperatures reaching 42C in Cordoba, Spain, with orange icons showing fire risk. Other forecast highs include:
- Cordoba, Spain – 42C
- Toulouse, France – 40C
- Lleida, Spain – 40C
- Madrid, Spain – 39C
- Sevilla, Spain – 39C
- Caceres, Spain – 39C
- Badajoz, Spain – 39C
- Zaragoza, Spain – 38C
- Albacete, Spain – 38C
- Bordeaux, France – up to 39C
- Central France – widespread 38C to 39C
- Paris and surrounding areas – around 36C to 38C
- Lyon, France – around 37C
- Piacenza, Italy – 36C
- Parma, Italy – 36C
- Alessandria, Italy – 36C
- Florence, Italy – 36C
- Milan, Italy – 35C
- Taranto, Italy – 35C
Why is Europe experiencing such extreme heat?
Three consecutive months of exceptional heat across western Europe have been linked to persistent high-pressure systems trapping heat over the region, creating a phenomenon known as a "heat dome".
Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said: "The extreme temperatures also amplified widespread drought." She added that as soils dry out, they lose their ability to provide natural cooling, allowing temperatures to rise more readily.
Western Europe recorded an average 24-hour temperature of 21.62C across June and July, 2.79C above the 1991-2020 average and beating the previous record set in 2022.
Wildfire fears grow across Europe
The scorching conditions are raising fears of further wildfires after more than 550,000 hectares of land were burned across Europe this year.
Parts of Hungary, Romania and Serbia, particularly around the area where the three countries meet, face an "extreme danger" of fires this week, according to Copernicus' European Forest Fire Information System. The danger is expected to peak on Wednesday, before large areas of Spain and patches of France face "extreme" and "very high" wildfire danger later in the week.
More than 300,000 people have already been forced to flee their homes in France and Spain, while the fires have caused an estimated £16.4billion in economic costs.
