African Heatwave in Europe

EU monitoring institute Copernicus reports that this summer is on track to follow suit with the record-breaking hot summer months in 2023-2024

This weekend, Europe was hit by an early heatwave, with record high June temperatures in Portugal and Spain. It is caused by hot air pressed up from Northwest Africa. The heat wave reaches temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (°C) in Spain and Portugal, where on Saturday, the temperature reached 46.0 degrees (equal to 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in El Granado in southwestern Spain near the border with Portugal. This was a new Spanish heat record for the month of June, surpassing the earlier record of 45.2 degrees measured in sixty years ago, in 1965 in Seville.

At the same time, a few hundred kilometers away, a Portuguese heat record was set for June, when in Mora, which is located 90 kilometers east of Lisbon, a record 46.6 degrees temperature was measured.

The heat wave will reach large parts of Western and Central Europe on Tuesday, as the warm air from the Iberian Peninsula moves towards Northern Europe in the following days.

Photo: nikitabuida on freepic

In addition to the absolute national heat records, several local records for June were set in both Spain and further north in France with over 40 degrees, while the night temperatures also broke records. Among other things, the lowest temperature in Barcelona on Monday night was 24.9 degrees. This is the highest minimum temperature measured in the Catalan capital in June since the first measurements were made in 1924.

Authorities across Europe are alerting citizens for the early summer heatwave of the summer hits hard with temperatures up to 40 degrees and more. Experts say this is the consequence of climate emergency, making Europe the fastest-warming continent.

In Greece, a large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, leading authorities to issue evacuation orders and shut down parts of the coastal road linking the Greek capital to Cape Sounion, location of the ancient Temple of Poseidon, a major tourist attraction. Forest fires also threatened homes and industrial areas in the western Turkish province of İzmir, as reported in The Guardian.

Hottest March ever, leading up to a hot summer

According to EU’s Copernicus climate monitor, this year saw the hottest March in recorded history. As a result of the planet’s warming, extreme weather events, including hurricanes, droughts, floods and heatwaves, have become more frequent and intense, scientists warn. The heatwave follows a series of broken extreme-heat records, including Europe’s hottest March ever, and with an unusual pattern of strong rainfalls in certain regions.

The average temperature over European land for March 2025 was 6.03°C, 2.41°C above the 1991-2020 average for March, making it the warmest March for Europe.

Outside Europe, temperatures were most above average over large parts of the Arctic, in particular over the Canadian Archipelago and Baffin Bay. They were also above average over the United States, Mexico, parts of Asia, and Australia.

Temperatures were most below average over northern Canada, Hudson Bay, and eastern Russia, including the Kamchatka Peninsula.

"March 2025 was the warmest March for Europe highlighting once again how temperatures are continuing to break records. It was also a month with contrasting rainfall extremes across Europe with many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years.” According to Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at ECMWF Copernicus

All over Europe, summers have become warmer, and for the months of June, July and August, mainland Spain stands out in that the temperature for the climate normal from 1991 to 2020 is two degrees higher than in the previous 30-year climate normal from 1961 to 1990.

The disastrous flooding last October in Valencia was caused by unusually warm surface water in the Western Mediterranean, related to the warm summer in the area.

Spain: Unprecedented Flooding

Quoted in the Science Media Centre, Dr Akshay Deoras, Research Scientist, National Centre for Atmospheric Science & Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, said:

As of the afternoon of 30 June, the high-pressure system driving the current heat dome is centered near Denmark, placing the UK on its western edge. This heat dome is bringing stable, mostly cloudless weather and drawing in hot, dry air from the south. Whilst the heat dome is responsible for the ongoing heatwave in Europe, anthropogenic climate change is likely intensifying it. The Earth is now significantly warmer than what it used to be in the past, which increases the possibility of witnessing heatwaves whenever heat domes form during the summer. Besides, such extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. Attribution studies will help clarify how much climate change has increased the likelihood of the current heatwave in Europe.

Heatwaves are deadly. They disproportionately affect vulnerable groups—older adults, young children, people with chronic illnesses, and those without secure housing. Prolonged heat can overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate temperature, leading to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and potentially fatal heatstroke. With dry land surface conditions, the risk of wildfires—like those currently seen in Greece—also rises. We need to treat extreme heat with the same seriousness we give to dangerous storms. Avoid outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day, stay hydrated even if you’re not thirsty, and avoid alcohol. Wear loose, light-coloured clothing and a wide-brimmed hat if going outside. If you feel dizzy, nauseous, or experience a rapid heartbeat or headache, get to a cool place, hydrate, and cool your body down—these symptoms can quickly become life-threatening.