After hitting western Europe, sweltering heatwave heads north

Western Europe on Tuesday was hit by sweltering heat with temperatures going as high as 40.3C in the United Kingdom amid a ferocious heatwave that is now headed north with the mercury expected to hit 40C in the far south of Belgium as well as western and southwestern Germany.

Extreme heat warnings were issued in France which also witnessed wildfires while the Netherlands reported record July temperatures.

Wildfires were also reported in Portugal, Spain, and Greece forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving several people and animals dead.

With still two months of summer left, forecasters have warned of temperatures rising further.

Scientists have pointed out that heat waves in Europe are intensifying and are more frequent compared to the rest of the world and attributed the extreme weather phenomenon to human-induced climate change.

In May this year, France experienced its hottest month on record. In June, France was hit by a spring heat wave engulfing Spain, Italy, and other neighbouring countries. In July, Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe suffered a spell of extreme heat.

Explaining the heatwave in Europe, Kai Kornhuber, a researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of Columbia University, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “Low-pressure zones tend to draw air toward them. In this case, the low-pressure zone has been steadily drawing air from North Africa toward it and into Europe… It’s pumping hot air northward.”

Also Watch: Flights briefly suspended at London's Luton Airport after extreme heat melts runway