A blistering heatwave swept across Europe on Monday, igniting wildfires, prompting mass evacuations, and triggering widespread health alerts. From Turkiye to the Netherlands, soaring temperatures disrupted daily life and underscored the escalating impacts of climate change.
In Turkiye’s western province of Izmir, firefighters battled raging wildfires for a second consecutive day as strong winds intensified the flames. More than 50,000 people were evacuated across five regions, with over 42,000 residents displaced in Izmir alone, according to Turkiye’s emergency management authority, AFAD. The country’s coastal areas have increasingly become wildfire hotspots in recent years, a trend scientists attribute to hotter, drier summers fueled by human-induced climate change.
France also faced a fiery outbreak as wildfires erupted on Sunday in the southwestern Aude region, where temperatures soared above 40°C (104°F). The blaze scorched 400 hectares, forcing the evacuation of a campsite and an abbey. Although firefighters managed to contain the fires, they had not been fully extinguished by Monday. Meteo France placed 84 out of 101 departments under an orange heatwave alert, warning of peak temperatures expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Across the continent, scenes of sweltering heat became the norm. Spectators waiting in line at Wimbledon, tourists exploring Rome’s Colosseum, and locals working in Seville all braved unusually intense heat. “It’s about 20 degrees hotter than I’m used to and I’m sunburnt all over,” remarked Scott Henderson, a tennis fan from Scotland.
Spain appears headed for its hottest June on record, with the national weather agency AEMET predicting extreme heat to persist until Thursday. In Seville, where a United Nations conference was underway, temperatures reached 42°C. “It’s awful,” said municipal worker Bernabe Rufo as he cleaned a fountain. “We need to be looking for shade constantly.” The highest recorded temperature in Spain on Monday was a scorching 43.7°C in El Granado.
Italy also raised alarms, with the health ministry issuing red heat alerts for 16 major cities, including Rome and Milan. In response to the soaring temperatures, Lombardy’s regional government announced plans to ban outdoor labor during the hottest hours of the day, following appeals from trade unions.
In Germany, large swathes of the western and southwestern regions came under heat warnings as temperatures reached up to 34°C. Authorities urged citizens to conserve water, as the heatwave dropped water levels in the Rhine River—hindering shipping routes and raising freight costs. Meanwhile, power prices in both Germany and France spiked due to increased electricity demand for cooling.
The heatwave not only disrupted infrastructure and supply chains but also raised serious health concerns. Experts warned that the elderly, infants, outdoor workers, and economically disadvantaged groups face the greatest risks. On a global scale, extreme heat claims up to 480,000 lives annually, exceeding fatalities from floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes combined, according to Swiss Re. The growing threat to public health, infrastructure, and economies underscores the urgent need for climate action.
Scientists point to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels as the leading driver of global warming. With last year officially recorded as the hottest in history, Europe’s early-summer heatwave is yet another stark reminder of the rapidly changing climate.
