Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
Temperatures have soared to record-breaking highs across Europe. In the United Kingdom, at least 34 sites have exceeded the previous national record for heat (38.7°C / 101.6°F), with temperatures surpassing 40°C (104°F) on Tuesday, the highest ever recorded in the region. More than 1,000 deaths have been linked to the intense and historic heat wave as well as the wildfires, and thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.
The sweltering weather has also disrupted travel, health care, and schools. Not only do many buildings in this part of the world not have air conditioning due to the normally mild weather, but various reports have also stated that the intense heat damaged a runway at London’s Luton airport, warped a main road in England, and caused train stations to close or reduce service due to a fear that rails could become damaged.
The extreme weather has also fueled huge wildfires across Spain, Portugal, France, and Greece. Fire officials have battled the blazes throughout these countries for days with the assistance of water bombing planes, and have even begun burning land and cutting down long stretches of forests to prevent the fires from advancing—techniques rarely needed in this part of the world to control fires.
*
*
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Meteosat-11 Imagery Courtesy of EUMETSAT
Music: “Without a Trace,” by Paul Reeves [PRS]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music
Temperatures have soared to record-breaking highs across Europe. In the United Kingdom, at least 34 sites have exceeded the previous national record for heat (38.7°C / 101.6°F), with temperatures surpassing 40°C (104°F) on Tuesday, the highest ever recorded in the region. More than 1,000 deaths have been linked to the intense and historic heat wave as well as the wildfires, and thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.
The sweltering weather has also disrupted travel, health care, and schools. Not only do many buildings in this part of the world not have air conditioning due to the normally mild weather, but various reports have also stated that the intense heat damaged a runway at London’s Luton airport, warped a main road in England, and caused train stations to close or reduce service due to a fear that rails could become damaged.
The extreme weather has also fueled huge wildfires across Spain, Portugal, France, and Greece. Fire officials have battled the blazes throughout these countries for days with the assistance of water bombing planes, and have even begun burning land and cutting down long stretches of forests to prevent the fires from advancing—techniques rarely needed in this part of the world to control fires.
*
*
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Meteosat-11 Imagery Courtesy of EUMETSAT
Music: “Without a Trace,” by Paul Reeves [PRS]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music
