Europe Issues Red Weather Alerts as Heatwave Pushes Temperatures Above 40°C

Several countries in Europe have issued red weather alerts as a fresh bout of extreme heat pushes temperatures beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), bringing dangerous conditions across large swaths of the world's fastest warming continent.

The U.K.'s Met Office on Monday put a rare red extreme heat warning in place for Wednesday and Thursday, warning that the country's highest temperature on record for June is "very likely" to be broken over the coming days.

The red warning caters for an exceptional spell of hot and humid weather, which carries the potential for adverse health effects population wide and means substantial changes in daily routines will be required.

The U.K.'s weather forecaster said the mercury could reach at least 39 degrees Celsius this week, while evening temperatures were unlikely to drop below 20 degrees Celsius through consecutive nights.

"Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events and we're expecting severe and significant impacts from this heatwave, with health impacts likely for many, even beyond those who are normally more vulnerable to the heat," said Mark Sidaway, deputy chief forecaster of the Met Office.

Red heat alerts were also issued in France, Spain and Italy, alongside similar warnings by authorities in Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

At least 18 people died in France, Reuters reported on Monday, and hundreds of schools were ordered to close as the country's weather agency Meteo France warned a "prolonged and intense" heat wave episode was now underway.

Temperatures in Bordeaux in southwestern France hit 42 degrees Celsius on Monday.

In a social media post, Meteo France said 54 regional administrative areas would be under a red heat wave warning on Tuesday, describing this as an "unprecedented number."

Europe's heat wave is its second so-called heat dome in just two months and comes as scientists warn climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is the chief driver of the climate crisis.

Europe is known to be warming faster than any other continent, at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the U.K.'s University of Reading, said that while a heat wave in June is perhaps to be expected, temperatures nudging toward 40 degrees Celsius were unprecedented for the U.K. up until 2022.

"Whilst May brought record dry heat, this week will see a more muggy heatwave that makes it difficult to stay cool and critical for those with underlying health conditions," Allan said.

"It is blindingly obvious that heatwaves will increase in severity as rising greenhouse gases stifle the planet's ability to lose heat to space," he continued.

"A warmer atmosphere's greater thirst for water also means more rapidly onsetting drought, but also the intensification of extreme rainfall and associated flooding as excess water drained from the soil and oceans is channelled into storms that can often be sparked off by summer heat."