Temperatures intensify in Europe: the heatwave in pictures

Southern Europe is continuing to swelter in an extreme heatwave with temperatures in the central Mediterranean expected to reach their peak today.

Europe is “bracing itself” for yet more blazing temperatures and it will be hottest in the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, which are expected to reach 48C, said The Times.

This is a “near-record” high; the hottest temperature ever in Europe was 48.8C, recorded in Sicily in 2021. Last month was the hottest June on record and the current weather patterns will continue well into July, with extreme heat predicted for “a further 10 days in parts of Italy”, said the BBC.

Spain is also facing high temperatures, with thermometers reaching 44C in the south of the country yesterday. The Spanish island of La Palma has been battling with wildfires, as have parts of mainland Greece.

The European Space Agency has also warned that other countries, including France, Germany and Poland, will experience extreme heat later this week, with another heatwave thought to be on the way, said Sky News.

The soaring temperatures are in part due to the Charon anticyclone – named after the Greek mythological boatman who ferried souls to the underworld – but climate change is making such weather events “more frequent, more intense” and longer lasting, said the BBC.