Washington [US], July 1: A heatwave continues to grip large parts of southern Europe, with authorities in many countries issuing health warnings amid searing temperatures.
Southern Spain is the worst-affected region, with temperatures in the mid-40s Celsius recorded in Seville and neighbouring areas.
The southern Spanish city is forecast to roast in more than 40C heat for the next three days and face night-time temperatures of at least 25C until Thursday morning. Doctors have expressed alarm at the combination of hot days and uncomfortably warm nights, which can place a lethal stress on the human body.
A new heat record for June of 46C was set on Saturday in the town of El Granado, according to Spain's national weather service, which also said this month is on track to be the hottest June on record.
In Portugal, a reading of 46.6 C (115.9F) was registered in Mora, about 60 miles east of Lisbon. Weather officials were working to confirm whether that marked a new record for June.
In Italy, where 21 out of 27 cities were placed on the highest heat alert on Sunday, hospital admissions in some of the hottest regions - such as Tuscany - are up 20%. People have been advised not to venture outside between 11am and 6pm.
In France, heat warnings covered nearly the entire mainland for the first time in history. Meteo-France has placed 88% of administrative areas under the second-highest orange heat alerts. "This is unprecedented," said the ecology minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher.
A record number of heat alerts are in place across France as the country, and other parts of southern and eastern Europe, remain in the grip of soaring temperatures.
Sixteen French regions, including Paris, have been placed on red alert for Tuesday, the country's highest, while 68 others are on orange alert.
On Monday, 84 of 96 mainland regions were under an orange alert, which France's Climate Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher called an "unprecedented" situation.
The UK experienced the peak of a four-day heatwave on Monday, with temperatures in parts of England reaching 33C.
London's Heathrow was the hottest place in the UK, reaching 33.1C, closely followed by St James's Park at 33C.
People across England took to the beaches, with huge crowds seen at Brighton seafront, as people tried to escape the heat which is due to continue into Tuesday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts across England. Guidance recommends wearing hats, sunglasses and suncream.
Amber alerts covering Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West are in place until 09:00 BST on Wednesday. A yellow alert for north-west England is also place until Wednesday.
The high temperatures mean all of these areas are likely to experience a rise in deaths particularly among the vulnerable, according to the UKHSA.
The Mediterranean Sea recorded its highest average sea surface temperature ever for the month of June on Sunday, reaching 26.01 degrees Celsius, according to French media reports citing data from the European Copernicus programme analysed by Meteo-France.
"We have never recorded such a high daily temperature in June, averaged over the basin, as Sunday," Thibault Guinaldo, a researcher at the Center for Satellite Meteorology Studies under Meteo-France, told AFP.
Currently, the sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean is approximately 3 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average for the 1991-2020 period.
Meteo-France warned in a statement that these unusually high sea temperatures, up to 5 degrees above normal, could worsen "tropical nights" around the region, making nighttime conditions increasingly oppressive during the ongoing heatwave. The agency expects the heat to intensify further across France until Wednesday.
Source: Emirates News Agency
