Parts of Britain and France were under extreme heat warnings on Monday, with temperatures forecast around the mid-30s Celsius, as much of Europe prepares for another heatwave following record-breaking temperatures in June and July that were linked to wildfires, river levels dropping and thousands of deaths.
Europe Faces New Heatwave as Britain and France Issue Extreme Heat Warnings
Parts of Britain and France were under extreme heat warnings on Monday, with temperatures forecast around the mid-30s Celsius, as much of Europe prepares for another heatwave following record-breaking temperatures in June and July that were linked to wildfires, river levels dropping and thousands of deaths.
The British government has imposed irrigation restrictions on farmers and a hosepipe ban in some regions. According to the article, more than 27 million people in Britain are living under water-use restrictions as the country prepares for what is described as its fifth consecutive heatwave this year.
Tony Grayling, identified as the British Environment Agency's Director of Sustainable Business and Development, said the hot and dry weather is reportedly taking a toll on farming and will have long-lasting environmental impacts.
France's government said on Monday that water-use restrictions have been applied across 70 percent of the country as drought conditions worsen. The restrictions cover activities including watering gardens, filling swimming pools, washing cars and irrigating crops.
Spain's national weather agency AEMET said the country recorded its joint-hottest July since records began in 1961. Mainland Spain also recorded its driest July on record that month, with 4.3 millimetres of rain falling — representing 26 percent of the normal precipitation for that period.
Wildfires are reportedly burning in Greece and Spain. In Andalusia, firefighters are working to contain blazes near the medieval town of Niebla. Andalusia's emergencies chief Antonio Sanz told reporters the effort to extinguish those fires was expected to last several days, and said nearly 500 people have been evacuated from the area.
In Germany, the BDB, described as an inland shipping association, warned that low water levels on the Rhine river may soon prevent vessels from navigating parts of it. The group's managing director Jens Schwanen was quoted in the Rheinische Post newspaper as saying the Rhine could effectively be divided in two, making continuous commercial navigation impossible.
Elevated temperatures are also forecast in Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, according to the article, which states that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet due to climate change.
- The source does not establish the specific dates or duration of the forecast heatwave.
- The source does not identify the agency or body that issued the extreme heat warnings in Britain and France.
- The source does not specify the number of deaths attributed to the June and July heatwaves, beyond noting they numbered in the thousands.
- The source does not name the wildfires in Spain described as the country's biggest in recent history, nor provide details on their scale or origin.
- The source does not clarify what scientific body or monitor determined June and July were the hottest on record in Western Europe.
- The source does not specify the current water levels on the Rhine or the threshold at which shipping becomes unviable.
- The source does not provide detail on the nature or severity of the wildfires in Greece.
- The source does not state how many people were affected by heatwave conditions in prior weeks across Europe.
Read the original at Al Jazeera English