43 degrees and more: the worst heatwave in June since 1950 in Spain, records are also expected in France

People and animals suffer from rising temperatures in Spain, France and parts of the USA. For Europe, the icing on the cake heat wave Expected for this Saturday. On Thursday, France broke through the 40-degree mark early in the history of the measurements.

“This is just the beginning of one of the greatest heat waves in French history. Countless records are about to fall,” meteorologist Scott Duncan said on Twitter.

First the heat, then the storm

At the height of the heat wave in France, maximum temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees on Saturday. The weather service Météo France said it can be assumed that absolute heat records will be smashed. “It really is an exceptional situation,” she said. Temperatures are expected to range between 35 and 39 degrees across the board.

In connection with the prolonged severe drought, there was a great danger of forest fires in France, and the fire brigade repeatedly went out to the source of the fire in nature. Storms coming from France’s Atlantic coast are expected from Sunday night, which will later affect other parts of the country. Locally, these storms may be accompanied by violent winds and strong thunderstorms. The heat wave that will last longer in eastern France is expected to end.

In the sweltering heat, two West Coast retirees died on Burnett Beach on Friday, France Info reported. An 80-year-old man lay on a towel in the hot sun. When he stopped moving, other beachgoers called for help. It appears that the man had a heat stroke. Two hours later, an 82-year-old man fell into the water. With a water temperature of 16 degrees and an air temperature of 35 degrees, fatal cold shock is suspected.

Storms coming from France’s Atlantic coast are expected from Sunday night, which will later affect other parts of the country. Locally, these storms may be accompanied by violent winds and strong thunderstorms. The heat wave that will last longer in eastern France is expected to end.

Weather Forecast: This is what the weather will be like in your community

A heat wave in Greece from the middle of next week

In the meantime, half of Greece will still be rainy for now, and hot weather is expected to follow next week. On the other hand, those vacationing in Crete and the Cyclades islands can look forward to clear sunshine and temperatures around 30 degrees. Meteorologists predict that the heatwave over Western Europe won’t reach Greece until the middle of next week – and then possibly in a weaker version.

drought in italy

Italians also suffer from the heat. Weather experts warn temperatures are forecast for the weekend that could exceed the record set in May 2003. A heat wave, unusual for May, is exacerbating the drought that has plagued Italy for months.

The Po Valley in northern Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years. In dense agricultural areas, some communities are now rationing water distribution. According to the Coldiretti Agricultural Society, drought threatens half of the cultivated area in the Po Valley and nearly a third of the country’s agricultural production. Lombardy President Attilio Fontana spoke of a “very difficult situation”. He announced that a state of emergency would be declared soon.

The worst June heat wave in Spain since 1950

The worst heat wave in Spain since 1950 sent local thermometers to more than 44 degrees on Saturday. There was no real cooling at night either, in large parts of the country temperatures barely dropped to 20 degrees after sunset.

And the media reported that people in Spain’s cities often go to air-conditioned fountains, ice cream parlors and malls for refrigeration. Some beaches on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts were already full early Saturday morning. The record for this heat wave was set on Friday in Andigar, Andalusia, with 44.2 to 44.3 degrees.

According to the Aemet meteorological service, it is expected that it will be hot on Saturday, with a degree of 40 to 42 degrees, especially in the regions of Catalonia, Navarre and the Basque Country in the northeast and north of the country, and in Andalusia in the south. Otherwise, the weather would be great: in the capital, Madrid, the mercury column is supposed to rise to 39 degrees on Saturday. The temperature is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius on the holiday island of Mallorca. The so-called tropical nights prevent the Spaniards from sleeping.

Several forest fires In different parts of Spain, firefighters and residents of affected areas continued to hold their breath on Friday. The situation was worse in the northwestern province of Zamora. There, flames in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range not far from the border with Portugal had destroyed about 9,000 hectares by Friday afternoon, state television station RTVE reported, citing fire department spokesmen. This corresponds to an area of ​​approximately 13,000 football fields.

In Zamora, 220 firefighters and civil defense personnel responded to the flames on Friday. It added that about 600 residents of eight villages were taken to safety. According to RTVE, many rural roads have been closed since Thursday.

According to experts, drought and severe heat wave that has been going on for several days with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees in large parts of the country and sometimes high winds triggering wildfires. She added that the fires will not threaten large communities for the time being.

In Catalonia in northeastern Spain, four large wildfires broke out on Friday, already settling about 3,000 hectares of forest on the ground. In the province of Zaragoza, halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, ​​another 1,200 hectares were destroyed by fire. There was an alert about bushfire dangers on Friday in all 17 regions, the country’s autonomous regions. So, among other things, also in the Balearic Islands with the holiday island of Mallorca.

43 degrees in the US

Parts of North America were also hit by a heat wave. The southeastern United States in particular is characterized by hot and humid conditions. In Kansas, where thousands of livestock have died as a result of the sweltering heat, temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit, or more than 43 degrees Celsius.

High temperatures also in Germany and Switzerland

The sweltering temperatures made many people sweat in large parts of Germany and pushed them into the outdoor pool. On the website of the German Weather Service (DWD), there was a warning about heat in a strip from Saarbrücken to the eastern borders of Brandenburg and Saxony.

According to forecasts, the thermometer showed values ​​​​from 19 to 23 degrees at sea, otherwise 27 to 35 degrees, and in the southwest on Saturday even locally up to 38 degrees. In Bavaria, DWD advised “cold drinks and shade” at maximum temperatures of around 37 degrees. In Lower Franconia in particular, temperatures may rise to local record values ​​for June.

In Switzerland, temperatures were measured above 30 degrees early Saturday afternoon. Here, too, meteorologists have been counting on the new June record values ​​locally for the weekend.

Reheat the phone for service

The first heat wave is here, so the Ministry of Health is taking it again Phone temperature is onAt the toll-free hotline 050-555-555, experts offer advice on how best to protect yourself from heat stress. “Health risks during periods of heat can only be avoided by taking early precautions,” Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said. Thermal phone is a protective display that includes personal information.

The direct result of global warming

According to scientists, the increase in heat waves is a direct result of global warming. The intensity, duration and frequency of these phenomena are increasing.

The United Nations has warned of an increase in droughts around the world. “More and more countries and people will be threatened by drought,” said Ibrahim Thiao of the United Nations Environment Program to Combat Desertification (CNULCD) in Madrid. Thiaw said that half of humanity could be affected by water shortages in the next eight years. He called on countries to take immediate action to prevent “humanitarian disasters.”