Spain has smashed its 60-year temperature record as a lethal heatwave continues its deadly march across Europe, with forecasters warning London will hit a scorching 35°C today.
The mercury soared to an unbearable 46°C in southern Spain over the weekend – obliterating the previous June record of 45°C set in Seville back in 1965. But that’s just the beginning of a continental crisis that has authorities scrambling to save lives.
This is unprecedented,” France’s ecology minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told Sud Radio as a staggering 84 of the nation’s 96 departments were placed on orange heat alert – the highest number ever recorded.
Records Tumble Like Dominoes
Portugal wasn’t spared either. The tiny town of Mora recorded a mind-boggling 46.6°C on Sunday – setting a new June record and coming dangerously close to the country’s all-time high of 47.3°C.
Seven regions across central and southern Portugal, including Lisbon, remain on red alert for the second consecutive day. Authorities are begging people to stay indoors, with reports of heat strokes and burns flooding in as the heatwave tightens its grip.
Greece recorded 43°C in Skala, Messinia, while firefighters battled blazes south of Athens. Making matters worse, a 55-year-old British tourist has gone missing on the island of Karpathos since Friday, with search teams fearing the worst.
London Set to Sizzle
The heat is now pushing north, with Paris bracing for 39°C and London expecting to hit 35°C today – officially the hottest day of 2025 so far. Pictures from across Britain showed sun-seekers flooding beaches and parks, desperately seeking relief.
But experts warn this isn’t just another summer scorcher. Dr Radhika Khosla from Oxford University cautioned: “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.
The urban heat island effect means city centres can be up to 12°C warmer than surrounding countryside – turning metropolitan areas into furnaces.
Schools Shut, Pensioners Collapse
Nearly 200 schools across Europe have been forced to close or partially shut their doors. In France, where only 5% of homes have air conditioning, 44 million people are living in “heat islands” where temperatures soar 4-5°C higher than official readings.
Italian health officials placed 21 cities under the highest heat alert, reporting a spike in hospitalisations among the elderly, cancer patients and homeless. In Milan, the extreme heat caused a giant Generali insurance sign to collapse from the company’s 192-metre headquarters – narrowly avoiding catastrophe.
Tragic Deaths Mount
The human toll is already mounting. In Barcelona, 51-year-old street cleaner Montserrat A. died shortly after finishing her shift on Saturday evening. She’d been working from 2pm to 9pm – some of the day’s hottest hours. An autopsy will determine if heat was the cause.
Days earlier, a 34-year-old Dutch tourist died from heatstroke while hiking with friends in Mallorca.
Mediterranean Becomes a Cauldron
The Mediterranean Sea itself hit its warmest June temperature on record at 26.01°C on Sunday. “We have never measured such a high daily temperature in June,” said Thibault Guinaldo from France’s Centre for Satellite Meteorology Studies.
Sea temperatures are running 3°C above average, with spikes exceeding 4°C along French and Spanish coasts. The warming waters are bringing venomous invasive species to tourist destinations, with Italian authorities warning of lionfish carrying “extremely painful stings” and silver-cheeked toadfish packing deadly neurotoxins.
Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations
Turkey has evacuated more than 50,000 people as firefighters battle multiple blazes. The largest fire near Izmir forced 42,300 residents from their homes, with winds of 120km/h fanning the flames.
Hundreds of airline passengers were left stranded after İzmir Airport temporarily closed. Airlines are scrambling to reschedule flights as the crisis deepens.
Not Even the Alps Are Safe
In an ominous sign, the entire Alpine range recorded temperatures above 0°C in June for the first time ever. The unprecedented warmth threatens glaciers, mountain communities and ski resorts across Europe.
Mental Health Crisis Looms
Dr Laurence Wainwright from Oxford University warned the heatwave’s impact goes beyond physical health: “For every 1°C increase in monthly average temperature, mental health-related deaths increase by around 2.2%. Violent incidents increase, depression worsens.”
The Climate Reality
Last year’s Lancet study predicted heat-related deaths could quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies. With temperatures continuing to rise and heatwaves becoming more frequent and intense, Europe faces a scorching new reality.
As one exhausted Venetian tourist told reporters while “suffocating” in Saturday night’s humidity: “This isn’t normal anymore. This is our future.”
For millions across Europe today, that future has already arrived – and it’s burning hot.
