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Water lily bath: A young deer cools off in London's Richmond Park
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Drought, heat and forest fires continue to severely affect large parts of western Europe.
In many areas of western France and England, the highest heat warning level applied on Monday.
The overview:
Great Britain
Britain faced an unprecedented heatwave on Monday.
On Tuesday, the 40-degree mark should be exceeded for the first time ever, before the temperatures are expected to drop again here on Wednesday.
Wales reported a record high of 35.3 degrees Celsius in Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth.
The previous maximum temperature recorded in the entire kingdom was 38.7 degrees in 2019.
For the first time in history, the authorities issued the highest heat warning level red for large parts of England, while the second highest level applied in Wales and parts of Scotland.
The British health authority also issued the highest warning level, which corresponds to a national emergency.
Because of the extreme temperatures, some schools in England remained closed.
Several railway companies advised train passengers not to travel on Monday and Tuesday.
Operations on the London to York and Leeds rail route have been suspended for Tuesday between 11am and 7pm due to concerns about heat damage.
France
High temperatures of between 38 and 40 degrees were expected in half of France.
For a total of 15 departments, the highest heat warning level was red on Monday and therefore absolute caution.
Heat and wind also fueled the forest fires that had been raging for days.
The situation was particularly critical south of Bordeaux at the Bassin d'Arcachon, where 15,000 hectares of forest have already burned down near Landiras and Teste-de-Buch.
This corresponds to slightly more than the total area of the city of Bonn.
In the municipality of Teste-de-Buch near the Dune du Pilat, which is popular with holidaymakers, around 8,000 people were taken to safety on Monday as a precaution.
At Landiras there were initially 3,500 people, in the afternoon the evacuation of other communities began.
Since Tuesday, 16,200 holidaymakers in the area have had to leave campsites and accommodation.
Because smoke is threatening to reach the Bassin d'Arcachon zoo in Teste-de-Buch, as many animals as possible should be evacuated from Monday.
This was announced by the French Zoo Association AFDPZ.
The zoo has been closed since Friday.
Spain
In Spain, 22 fires were still active on Monday, according to civil defense.
The burned body of a shepherd was found in Losacio, Castile and León, after the death of a firefighter over the weekend.
"Climate change kills," said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Spain has been suffering from a massive heat wave with temperatures of up to 45 degrees for a week.
The heat combined with extreme drought had triggered numerous fires, tens of thousands of hectares of forest have already been destroyed.
On Monday, the highest forest fire danger level continued to apply almost throughout the country.
The weather service Aemet also had good news: The heat wave will end on Tuesday.
Portugal
Five major fires were still active in Portugal on Monday.
According to the nature conservation authority ICNF, the flames in Portugal destroyed around 30,000 hectares of forest in just over a week.
Greece
On the holiday island of Crete, firefighters also fought the flames and embers of a forest fire on Monday.
There were also fires elsewhere in Greece – the fire brigade registered 108 fires within 24 hours from Sunday to Monday.
The risk of forest fires is rated as "very high" locally, including on the islands of Crete, Euboea, Samos and Lesbos, and also in the northeast of the Peloponnese peninsula and around the capital Athens.
Germany
In Saxony, more than a hundred firefighters fought a forest fire in the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
Two members of the emergency services were injured and given medical treatment, as the district office in Pirna announced.
The fire broke out on Monday night for initially unknown reasons on a steep slope below the bastion.
In Berlin, people without their own home can get help when it is very hot - this not only applies to the next two days, when temperatures of up to 39 degrees are expected in the region.
For the homeless, a model project called “Wärmehilfe” started on Monday in Berlin-Schoeneberg by the social association IB Berlin-Brandenburg.
Those affected can stay there every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., shower and rest.
You will also receive food and drinks and, if necessary, clothing and sun protection products, the IB said.
According to the forecast, the sky will often be cloudless on Tuesday, the wind will only blow moderately at temperatures between 34 and 38 degrees.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), it can even be 40 degrees in the southwest and west.
The hottest day so far this year was June 19: According to the DWD, the warmest places were Cottbus and Dresden with 39.2 degrees.
The heat record in Germany is therefore 41.2 degrees – measured on July 25, 2019 in Duisburg.
According to the DWD, this record could shake along the Rhine.
sak/dpa/AFP
