A heat wave covers much of Europe and higher temperatures are on the way
ANKARA, Turkey — A heat wave covered much of Europe on Monday, with a record-hot first day of play at Wimbledon and high winds fanning forest fires in Turkey.
Heat warnings were issued for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the U.K., with new highs expected on Wednesday before rain should bring respite to some areas.
“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted from Seville, Spain, where temperatures hit 108 degrees. He called for action to fight climate change, saying “the planet is getting hotter & more dangerous.”
Dr. Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, warned in a statement that the scorching heat “silently threatens the people who need protection most: older adults, children, outdoor workers and anyone living with chronic health conditions.”
Portuguese authorities issued a red heat warning for seven of 18 districts as temperatures were forecast to hit 109 degrees.
Spain's national weather service said no relief from the first heat wave of the year is expected until Thursday. Sunday’s national average of 82 degrees set a new high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950.
In France, where air conditioning remains relatively rare, authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people. Misting stations doused passers-by along the River Seine in Paris.
France’s first significant forest fires of the season consumed 988 acres of woods Sunday and Monday in the southern Aude region. Water-dumping planes and some 300 firefighters were mobilized, the regional emergency service said.
In Turkey, forest fires forced the temporary closure of the airport in Izmir, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Authorities evacuated four villages as a precaution, the Forestry Ministry said.
Firefighters battled a blaze that broke out Monday near residential areas in Hatay province, near the border with Syria, that prompted 1,500 people to evacuate.
In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its “red” alert, which indicates “emergency conditions with possible negative effects” on healthy, active people as well as others. Regional governments in northwestern Liguria and southern Sicily put restrictions on outdoor work.
There were torrential rains in the north, and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks. RAI state television said one person was killed.
Britain’s national weather service said the Wimbledon tennis tournament was facing what could be its hottest start, with temperatures just under 85 degrees. Tournament rules allow players to take a 10-minute break when the heat goes above 30.1 degrees mid-match.
Temperatures in southern Germany were forecast as high as 102 degrees on Wednesday. Some towns and regions imposed limits on how much water can be taken from rivers and lakes.
At the Berlin zoo, elephants were showered with water and bears treated with blocks of ice containing fruit.
