Sweltering heat wave sweeps across western Europe

London’s Luton airport has suspended flights following soaring temperatures in the UK on Monday. 

In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday afternoon, the airport said that “a surface defect was identified on the runway,” following high temperatures. 

Some more context: On Friday, Britain's Met Office issued its first ever "red" warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures predicted to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. 

At least 24,000 people have been evacuated in southwest France due to wildfires, authorities said Monday.

“Despite the important ground and air means committed, the situation is not resolved,” the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Gironde prefecture said in a tweet. Since Monday morning, 300 more hectares (741 acres) of land have burned, totaling some 14,300 hectares (more than 35,000 acres), according to the prefecture.

According to Meteo France, the country's national meteorological service, the country has seen only eight days since May when average daily temperatures were below aggregated summer average temperatures.

In the remaining 39 days, daily temperatures have been above average temperatures observed between 1991 and 2020 for this time of year, according to Meteo France data.

Authorities in Spain, Portugal and Italy are battling to control the ongoing heat wave as Monday sees intense temperatures scorch areas across the European continent.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday that he wanted to share evidence that “climate change kills,” as he visited the Extremadura region ravaged by wildfires in Western Spain.

“I would like to share the evidence and it is that climate change kills, kills people as we have seen, kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity,” Sanchez said.

“It also destroys our most valuable assets, societies find themselves affected by these changes, their houses, homes, businesses, their cattle.”

Sanchez continued to say that so far this year more than 70,000 hectares (more than 172,900 acres) have been destroyed as a consequence of the fires in our country.

Almost the entire country faces an extreme fire risk with many regions now classed as an "extreme" level of heat, according to Spain’s national weather agency AEMET.

Spain is also mourning the loss of a firefighter Daniel Gullón Vara, a firefighter who had been working to extinguish a wildfire in the Zamora province. During his visit to the area, Sanchez offered his condolences and said that Vara represents those “fighting every day on the frontline of the fires.”

In Portugal, around 80 municipalities in 10 districts remain under the highest threat level for wildfires, especially in the northeastern part of the country, according to the Portuguese weather service, the Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

Nearly 1,000 firefighters, supported by around 300 vehicles and aircraft, are deployed across the country, battling five major wildfires, the Portuguese Civil Protection Authority said in its latest update. The largest fire is currently raging in Fundão, in the Castelo Branco district.

Temperatures in Portugal have cooled down slightly after reaching record-breaking levels for July last week. On Monday, they were hovering just below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in most parts of the country.

Despite a short respite, IPMA forecasts temperatures will go up again from Wednesday, rising to around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

Regions in Italy that are worst hit by drought are being asked to ration water as the country declared a state of emergency earlier this month.

In areas near the Po River valley, cities are cutting water supplies during the night, and residents are prevented from washing their cars and watering their gardens.

In the small town of Castenaso, close to Bologna, an order from the town’s mayor has prohibited hairdressers and barbers from washing clients' hair twice in an attempt to save water before water supplies run too low.

In Milan, Italy's financial hub, the mayor has ordered all ornamental fountains turned off and prohibited the washing of private vehicles or watering of gardens and lawns.

And Rome is offering free swimming pool entrance tickets for people over 70 years old “to offer them refreshment facing the high summer temperatures,” according to Rome’s City Council.

Wales has recorded its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching 35.3 degrees Celsius (95.54 degrees Fahrenheit) in Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth, the UK Met Office said Monday.

In a tweet, the Met Office said the previous record high was of 35.2 degrees Celsius (95.36 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire, on Aug. 2, 1990.

On Friday, the Met Office issued its first ever "red" warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures predicted to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country.

The UK is currently facing travel disruptions due to exceptionally high temperatures. 

The heatwave is fueling wildfires in parts of Europe — France, Spain and Portugal in particular.

More than 40 million people in the US are under heat alerts Monday across the Plains and the San Joaquin Valley. Heat alerts include both heat advisories and excessive heat warnings.

High temperatures are forecast to climb into the 90s and triple digits across these regions today. Dozens of daily high temperature records could be broken through this week across various parts of the central US. Heat indices (the “feels like” temperatures) are forecast to climb as high as 111 degrees across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, where excessive heat warnings have been issued.

Heat advisories surround the excessive heat warnings across the central US and have also been issued in parts of New Mexico. Temperatures could reach the triple digits across these regions. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal.

Excessive heat warnings have also been issued for the San Joaquin Valley, with temperatures expected to climb to as high as 108 degrees.

People in these alerts are strongly encouraged to drink plenty of water, stay in the shade, and limit outdoor activities during the peak heat of the day.

Monday may well be the “hottest day in UK history” but Tuesday is “expected to be even hotter," the UK Met Office’s chief executive, Penelope Endersby, told BBC’s Radio 4 in an interview. 

"Even possibly above that, 41 is not off the cards. We've even got some 43s in the model but we're hoping it won't be as high as that."

Endersby went on to say that while extreme temperatures are not expected beyond Tuesday, the Met Office will be monitoring the possibility of a drought in the coming months.

“We’re expecting a big drop in temperature overnight into Wednesday – down 10 or 12 degrees on what has been the days before,” Endersby said.

“Our attention is turning, once we're past these two days, to drought and when we might see any rain, and we're not seeing any significant rain coming up," the official added.

On Friday, the UK Met Office issued a red warning for “extreme heat” over the soaring temperatures. Endersby warned on Radio 4 how excess heat can cause deaths so people should follow their advice and keep cool and hydrated, especially as the temperatures are unprecedented.

"Our warnings are always impact-based, so, when we put out warnings, if they're red, that means there's a danger to life and we're expecting major infrastructure impacts, and that's true, whether it's snow, wind, rain, and it's true of this heat warning,” she said.