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Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece are the countries most affected by the heat wave that is crossing the Mediterranean and that possibly in the coming days will spread to central and northern Europe. The high temperatures generate massive forest fires, which have left 6,000 hectares devastated in Portugal and 6,500 people evacuated in France.
High temperatures have put Spain on alert. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has described this Thursday as “the worst day”, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees in some regions of the country. In the case of Madrid, the Spanish capital, the thermometers marked 42 degrees.
The weather forecast ensures that the situation could last for the next week, but they have reported that we must wait to see how the situation evolves, which stands out for its “significantly high duration”.
This is the second heat wave of the summer, which has already left fatalities. During the days of July 10 and 11, the Spanish authorities reported 43 victims, while various businesses in the most affected cities have decided to modify their hours to avoid the hours of greatest heat and less influx of people.
The beneficiaries have been the commercial premises that offer electrical appliances, who have been announcing in recent weeks an increase in the sale of devices that help reduce temperatures in closed spaces, reporting that the most sought after by citizens are fans.
climate warming
In Portugal, the situation is not very different. Prime Minister António Costa announced this Thursday the extension until next Sunday of the red alert that affects a large part of the country. Like Spain, this July 14 was established as the “most serious day”.
Meanwhile, in France, the meteorological services have predicted that the heat could last between eight and ten more days, having its peak on July 16 and 19. The thermometers this Thursday reached 38 degrees in Bordeaux and 40 in Mont de Marsan.
For years, scientists have been warning about this type of situation caused by climate change and have ensured that over the years extreme weather events will be seen more frequently.
Heat waves in Europe have been increasing three to four times faster than in the rest of the northern mid-latitudes like the United States and Canada, according to a study published in the journal Nature last week.
“Europe is greatly affected by changes in atmospheric circulation,” said one of the researchers, scientist Kai Kornhuber of Columbia University.
In recent days, high temperatures have also affected parts of China and the United States.
Forest fires
In western Spain, more than 4,000 hectares have been burned during the fire that began in the Extremadura region on July 12 and has been devastating the province of Salamanca, in the region of Castilla y León. This Thursday, the authorities carried out the evacuation of 49 children who were in a summer camp.
Meanwhile in Portugal, about a dozen fires are developing throughout the country, with the towns of Leiria (Pombal), Faro (Algarve), Palmela (Setpubal) and the Peneda Geres park being the most affected.
Given the situation, the authorities have been widely deployed with more than 1,400 officials and six planes made available by Spain, Italy and France, working mainly in the center and south of the country against the fires that have so far destroyed 6,000 hectares, leaving about 700 people evacuated.
“It is absolutely crucial that we avoid new events because it leads to the exhaustion of the firefighters and all the officials … who are doing everything possible to control the situation,” said Portuguese President António Costa.
In France, given the risk that the fires will continue to increase, more than 6,500 citizens have been evacuated in the Gironde department, a place where approximately 2,700 hectares of forest have been burned and which is under an orange alert due to the heat.
“The situation on the ground is unfavourable, there is scorching heat and wind,” said Fabienne Buccio, prefect of the Gironde department. “And, as night is about to fall, we won’t be able to use our air assets.”
The French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, announced last Tuesday that the entire government would close ranks to deal with the emergency due to the heat that they forecast will last, at least, until the middle of next week with temperatures that will exceed 40 degrees.
With information from Reuters and EFE
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