Europe heat record: Spain and Portugal boil in highest temperatures as wildfires rage across continent fanned by ‘suffocating’ heatwave while Brit goes missing on Greek island

Europe has been hit by record temperature highs as a deadly heatwave sweeps the continent.

Spain recorded its hottest June day on record at the weekend, with 46C recorded in El Granado, in the Andalucían province of Huelva. 

The highest temperature previously recorded for June was 45.2C logged in Seville in 1965. Spain’s state meteorological agency said the latest heatwave would likely persist.

A new record high for June was also recorded in Mora in Portugal on Sunday, at 46.6C (116F), according to the national meteorological agency.

Seven regions in central and southern Portugal, including Lisbon, were placed on red alert for the second day running on Monday, with fire warnings in many forest areas.

Authorities advised people ‘not to go out’ during the hottest hours, reporting heat strokes and burns as the heatwave took hold.

Meanwhile Britain sweltered in near record-breaking temperatures with sunseekers across the country heading to the seaside to cool down.

The southeast recorded the highest figures, with the mercury hitting 34C on Monday afternoon. 

Photos showed packed out beaches and swimming pools rammed with people frolicking in the water.

Both Brighton and Bournemouth beaches are experiencing congestion levels that are significantly higher than normal, according to TomTom.

Meanwhile, tennis fans are braving the weather and facing sweltering conditions on day one of Wimbledon, with temperatures expected to peak at 34C there.

And one had to be carried out of Centre Court on a chair at around 6pm in the closing stages of reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz’s first round clash with Fabio Fognini.

The spectator was attended to by paramedics, causing a 15 minute delay in the tense match, with Alcaraz rushing over to offer a bottle of water.

The Met Office has also confirmed it is the hottest start to the tennis championship on record, with the temperature this morning hitting 29.7C, smashing the previous record of 29.3C set on June 25, 2001.

Thousands of spectators pitched tents outside the All England Club overnight in a bid to secure tickets, but the tropical temperatures proved too much for some who were forced to abandon their spot in the queue ‘until it was cooler’.

The Met Office issued an amber heat health alert covering London, the East Midlands, the South East, the South West and the East of England, with the warning set to remain in place until 6pm on Tuesday.

And things are set to get even hotter tomorrow with 35C expected in southeastern areas, offering no respite to melting Brits. 

Greece recorded a reading of 43C (110F) in Skala, Messinia, just shy of the 44.5C (112F) recorded on Crete last year.

Firefighters battled a wildfire that broke out south of Athens on Thursday as temperatures rose.

Authorities are separately still searching for a 55-year-old British tourist reported to have gone missing on the island of Karpathos on Friday.

The heat is expected to extend north and across western Europe this week, with Paris set for 39C and London receiving 35C today – the hottest day of the year so far.

The lethal heatwave has seen records shattered across the continent, from France to the Swiss Alps.

A record number of heat alerts are in place across France as the country wrestles with its own wildfires. 

A huge blaze broke out in Aude, near Toulouse, over the weekend burning through some 400 hectares of land.

Authorities believe the fire was caused by a poorly extinguished barbecue, and a suspect has been arrested.

‘This is unprecedented,’ Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France’s ecology transition minister said as a record 84 of the nation’s 96 mainland departments were placed on the second-highest ‘orange’ heat alert. 

Only a small sliver of the country in the northwest was not sweltering, according to the Meteo France weather service, which said the heatwave was due to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ms Pannier-Runacher told Sud Radio that there were 44 million people nationwide living in ‘heat islands’, where the temperature could be as much as 4 or 5C higher than the measured temperature.

The heat island effect means built-up areas are often much hotter than nearby rural areas due to human-made surfaces that absorb the heat, like buildings and roads. 

Densely populated city areas can be as much as 12C warmer than the surrounding countryside. 

Dr Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford, said: ‘Populations in urban areas like London are particularly susceptible to extreme heat as the concrete and asphalt absorb and re-emit the sun’s radiation, amplifying its impact on our bodies. 

‘For this reason, outdoor workers are particularly at risk and should take regular breaks to hydrate in the shade.’

Nearly 200 schools across the country have been shut or partially closed as a result of the heatwave.

The summer’s first major heatwave has seen authorities in the countries along the Mediterranean’s northern coast urging people to seek shelter.

Ambulances stood on standby near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.

The Mediterranean itself on Sunday hit its warmest temperature on record for June at 26.01 degrees Celsius, according to a French weather service scientist. 

‘We have never measured such a high daily temperature in June, averaged over the basin, as Sunday,’ said Thibault Guinaldo, a researcher at the Centre for Satellite Meteorology Studies under Meteo-France.

At present, sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are 3C higher than average for the same period compared to 1991-2020, with spikes exceeding 4C around the French and Spanish coasts, he added.

Rising temperatures are now bringing more venomous invasive species to coastal waters around tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, authorities have warned.

The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) urged tourists and fishermen to report sightings of four ‘potentially dangerous’ species this week, citing nearly two thousand recorded appearances in the region.

The lionfish, silver-cheeked toadfish, dusky spinefoot and marbled spinefoot are beginning to appear in waters off southern Italy as the Mediterranean warms, it said.

The Ionian Sea is now one of the most vulnerable areas to lionfish, which carry spines causing ‘extremely painful strings’. 

The silver-cheeked toadfish contains a highly toxic neurotoxin and wields powerful teeth ‘capable of inflicting serious bites’.

On mainland Italy, a few regions were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record-high temperatures. 

Trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level.

The Italian Health Ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples.

It said it had reported a spike in heatstroke cases, mostly affecting the elderly, cancer patients and homeless people. 

Pensioners were told to find shelter in museums and pools as the heatwave continues to grip the nation.

In Milan, one of the giant Generali signs that crown the Italian insurer’s 192 metre head offices collapsed on Monday, at risk of crashing to the ground, firefighters said.

Generali said that the possible causes of the incident were being assessed. One hypothesis is that the steel beams holding up the sign broke. 

Local media has pointed to high temperatures in the city.

Tourists told the AFP news agency that they were ‘suffocating at night’ in the sweltering Venetian heat on Saturday, with no wind and a lot of humidity.

Severe heat was recorded across southern Europe, in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, with locals and tourists alike taking shelter from the conditions.

Authorities in Barcelona, northern Spain, were investigating after a woman died shortly after finishing her shift as a road sweeper on Saturday.

The 51-year-old woman, named locally as Montserrat A., died shortly after finishing work in the midst of a heatwave. 

Barcelona City Council confirmed the incident, though has not confirmed whether the death was heat related.

An autopsy will confirm whether her death was related to the heat or another cause.

Union sources said she was working in the Raval neighbourhood from around 2pm until 9pm, some of the hottest hours in the city, El Pais reports.

She died at home shortly after finishing her shift.

It came days after a 34-year-old Dutch tourist died from heatstroke while out hiking with friends on the island of Mallorca.

To the east, Greece and Turkey have been hit hard by wildfires, causing chaos for tourists as hundreds of passengers were left stranded. 

Rescuers have evacuated more than 50,000 people, mostly from Turkey’s western Izmir province, as firefighters battled a string of wildfires, the AFAD disaster agency said Monday. 

‘A total of over 50,000 citizens from 41 settlements have been temporarily relocated to safe areas,’ AFAD wrote on X, saying 79 people had been affected by smoke and other fire-related issues, none seriously.

Of that number, 42,300 were evacuated from Seferihisar, a forested area near the sea some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Izmir, it said.

The fire began around midday on Sunday and grew rapidly, fuelled by winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour), Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.

In the wake of the fire in Turkey, flights at İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport had closed temporarily as of 4pm local time on Sunday.

Hundreds of passengers have now been left stranded as a result of the blazes. 

Alvaro Iturmendi, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, said that in light of the wildfires, ‘several airlines are adjusting their schedules’.

‘This mix of cancellations and ongoing services may leave many travellers uncertain about their upcoming trips.

‘If you’re due to fly to Izmir or nearby areas, your first step should be to contact your airline for the latest updates. 

‘With the wildfires affecting transport links and air quality in the region, it’s important to plan ahead and monitor official travel advice.’

‘Airlines should refund you if your flight is officially cancelled, or help you arrange an alternative. However, if your flight is still scheduled and you decide not to travel, you may not automatically be entitled to a refund.’

The insurance comparison website offers guidance on flight cancellations. 

Governor Süleyman Elban urged residents to be cautious over the next few days.

He said low humidity and high temperatures could lead to more fires. 

Separately, a large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. 

Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky.

Greek authorities deployed 130 firefighters, 12 planes and 12 helicopters to battle the blaze, while police evacuated 40 people, with five areas under evacuation orders.

Not even Switzerland was immune from the heat, with the Alps reporting record-breaking temperatures. 

It was the first time that the entire Alpine range had seen temperatures above 0C in June.

Snow loss continues to threaten glaciers, the communities underneath them and ski resorts across Europe.

A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. 

The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by midcentury under current climate policies.

Experts have also warned that heatwaves can impact mood and behaviour.

Dr Laurence Wainwright, Departmental Lecturer at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, said: ‘While news coverage of hot weather usually includes images of sunbathing and ice creams, an often-overlooked consequence of heatwaves is their negative impact on our mental health and behaviour.

‘Violent incidents increase, depression worsens and the effect of psychiatric medications on our body can be altered. For every 1°C increase in monthly average temperature, mental health-related deaths increase by around 2.2%.

‘Spikes in relative humidity also result in a higher occurrence of suicide. Learning to adapt to the increasing frequency of heatwaves brought by climate change will mean taking account of all its impacts – including on our state of mind.’

The hottest place in the UK on Sunday was London’s St James’s Park – which hit a smouldering 31C.