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Portugal and Spain both registered their highest June temperatures on record as a severe heatwave continues to grip Europe.
Spain’s national weather service, Aemet, stated that the country’s “extremely hot” June 2025 “has shattered records,” exceeding typical averages for July and August.
The Portuguese meteorological service reported a peak temperature of 46.6C, the highest ever documented in June.
Elsewhere on the continent, tens of thousands have been evacuated in western Turkey due to ongoing wildfires, while separate heat-related deaths claimed two lives in Italy on Tuesday.
Aemet further noted that numerous locations across the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 43C overnight, but anticipated a temperature reprieve beginning Thursday.
Night-time temperatures remained elevated, reaching 28C in Seville and 27C in Barcelona overnight into Tuesday.
In Turkey, rescue teams evacuated over 50,000 people, primarily from the western province of Izmir, as firefighters continued battling hundreds of wildfires that have erupted in recent days.
Fires have also impacted regions within Bilecik, Hatay, Sakarya, and Manisa provinces.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli reported that emergency teams have responded to 263 wildfires nationwide over the past three days.
In France, several cities experienced their hottest June night and day on record on Monday, although forecasters project the heatwave to peak on Tuesday.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris has been closed to the public due to the intense European heatwave, with Climate Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher describing the situation as “unprecedented.”
For the first time in five years, the Paris region has activated a red alert, along with 15 other French regions. The Ministry of Education announced the partial or complete closure of 1,350 public schools on Tuesday.
A temperature of 46.6 C (115.9F) was recorded in Mora, Portugal, approximately 60 miles east of Lisbon on Sunday. Portuguese weather authorities are currently working to confirm whether this marks a new June record.
In Italy, local reports indicate that hospital admissions in the Tuscany region have risen by 20%.
The highest heat alert has been issued for 21 out of 27 Italian cities, and 13 regions, including Lombardy and Emilia, have advised residents to avoid outdoor activities during peak heat hours.
Lombardy has banned outdoor work on construction sites, roads, and farms between 12:30 and 16:00 on hot days, a measure in effect until September.
Temperatures in Greece have consistently approached 40C for several days, and wildfires have impacted coastal towns near Athens, resulting in home destruction and evacuations.
Parts of the UK narrowly missed recording one of their hottest June days ever on Monday.
The UK’s highest temperature of the day was registered at Heathrow Airport in London at 33.1C. Wimbledon recorded a temperature of 32.9C, marking the tennis tournament’s hottest opening day on record.
In Germany, the national meteorological service has warned that temperatures could reach nearly 38C on Tuesday and Wednesday, potentially leading to further record-breaking temperatures.
The heatwave has caused lower water levels in the Rhine River, a major shipping route, limiting cargo capacity and increasing freight costs.
Countries in and around the Balkans have also struggled with the extreme heat, although temperatures have begun to moderate. Wildfires have been reported in Montenegro.
Beyond the potential health risks, the heatwave is also impacting the environment. Rising temperatures in the Adriatic Sea are encouraging the spread of invasive species, such as the poisonous lionfish, while simultaneously increasing stress on alpine glaciers that are already shrinking at record rates.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that the heatwave underscores the urgent need for climate adaptation, including transitioning away from practices and energy sources, such as fossil fuels, that are the primary drivers of climate change.
“Rising temperatures, rising seas, floods, droughts, and wildfires threaten our rights to life, to health, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and much more,” he stated before the UN Human Rights Council.
Heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent due to human-caused climate change, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The IPCC has stated that extreme hot weather events will occur more often and with greater intensity as the planet continues to warm.
Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Reading in the UK, explained that rising greenhouse gas levels are hindering the planet’s ability to dissipate excess heat.
“The warmer, thirstier atmosphere is more effective at drying soils, meaning heatwaves are intensifying, with moderate heat events now becoming extreme.”
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