Record Heatwave Hits Portugal and Spain with New Temperature Highs

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Record Heatwave Hits Portugal and Spain with New Temperature Highs
Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP/TT

The heat wave in southern Europe continues with unchanged strength at the beginning of the week. Over the weekend, several heat records were set. Two people are suspected to have died as a result of the heat. In Turkey, 50,000 people have been evacuated from forest fires.

In the city of Mora in Portugal's inland, 46.6 degrees were measured on Sunday - the warmest temperature ever measured in June in the country, writes the newspaper Diário de Notícias.

Also in Spain, a new record was set when the village of El Granado in Andalusia measured 46 degrees on Saturday. As the temperatures are higher than usual for the season, authorities have issued both warnings and safety recommendations for residents and tourists.

It feels like Madrid is getting warmer and warmer every year, says 32-year-old Diego Radames to AFP.

"New normal"

Two people are reported to have died due to the heat in Spain. A woman in Barcelona is said to have collapsed and then died on Saturday evening, and in Mallorca, a tourist is reported to have died of heatstroke.

The heat is expected to persist for several days and new peak levels are predicted on Wednesday, before rain moves in over certain areas.

"Extreme heat is no longer something unexpected - it's the new normal", writes UN Secretary-General António Guterres on X on Monday from Seville in Spain.

Schools are closed

In France, 200 schools are completely or partially closed on Monday, while heat wave warnings remain. In the majority of the French mainland's regions, heat warnings have been issued. The country's Minister of Education, Élisabeth Borne, urges school leaders to avoid using the most heat-exposed classrooms and to "avoid physical activity", reports French media.

And in neighboring Italy, several regions are considering stopping outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day.

As a consequence of the high temperatures, authorities in several countries have issued warnings of a risk of forest fires, including in Greece.

In Turkey, more than 50,000 people have been evacuated from their homes - most in the western province of Izmir - due to fires raging in forests and land, according to the Turkish disaster authority Afad.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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