A brutal heat wave travels from the UK and France to Central Europe

And the German weather service expected the heat focus to shift east, after the country recorded the hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 103.1 degrees (39.5 degrees Celsius) in the west of the country.

Cities in Belgium and the Netherlands also Recorded temperatures Above 100 degrees on Tuesday, just shy of the records set in the July 2019 heat wave, According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera.

Meanwhile, firefighters in France, Spain, Greece and Britain battled bushfires exacerbated by rising temperatures. Authorities ordered a hospital in the Athens area to evacuate.

These maps show how hot it is in Europe and the United States

London Fire Brigade announce A major incident occurred on Tuesday as firefighters battled several major fires across the city, from Wembley in the north to Croydon in the south. Dozens of residents were forced to flee as houses, vehicles and pastures were set on fire. Clouds of smoke rose over parts of the Thames.

Extreme drought conditions and extreme heat have sharply increased the chances of wildfires spreading, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Monitoring Service. Much of Western Europe in ‘grave fire danger’ He said Tuesday.

Besides increasing carbon emissions from wildfires, Copernican scientists warn that “very high levels” of heat wave ozone pollution could affect northern and western Europe in the coming days.

At lower altitudes, ozone is a major component of urban smog, according to Mark Barrington, a leading Copernican scholar.

“The potential effects of severe ozone pollution on human health could be significant in terms of respiratory and cardiovascular disease,” he said in a statement.

How to keep yourself safe in extreme temperatures

As some experts have pointed to the human-affected role of climate change in record temperatures, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a “Moment for Nature” on Tuesday.

“Our lifestyles – based on production, consumption, de-pollution and pollution – have brought us to this dire state,” Guterres said. He said in a video message.

But since human activities are the root cause of the planetary emergency, that means we, too, hold the key to the solutions. Now is the time to transform our relationship with nature and chart a new course.”