Barcelona records hottest June in over 100 years as heat wave grips Europe

Paris | Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records started over a century ago, Spain's national weather service said on Tuesday as Europe remained in the grip of the first major heat wave this summer.

The Fabra Observatory, located on a hill overlooking Barcelona, reported an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, breaking records since 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6 C in 2003.

The same weather station said that a single-day high of 37.9 Celsius for June was recorded Monday, June 30.

Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean in Spain's northeastern corner. But most of the country has been gripped by the first heat wave of the year.

Health warnings were in effect Tuesday in several European Union countries even as conditions began to improve in some parts of the region.

Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees C in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands. In contrast, temperatures were falling in Portugal, where no red heat warnings were issued.

Spain saw a new high mark for June established on Saturday when 46 degrees Celsius was recorded in the southern province of Huelva, while Sunday's national average of 28 degrees Celsius set a record for a high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950.

“We are seeing these temperatures because we are experiencing a very intense heat wave that has come early in the summer and that is clearly linked to global warming,” Ramon Pascual, the regional delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

France suffocates

In France, the national weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit.

The heat wave, defined as consecutive days of very high temperature, is expected to intensify Tuesday with more than 1,300 schools set to be partially or fully closed, the Education Ministry said.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday.

Meteo-France also warned of the heightened risk of wildfires due to the drought-stricken soil, compounded by a lack of rain in June and the recent surge in temperature.

Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4 degrees Celsius warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40 C expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50 degrees Celsius.

According to Meteo-France, the country may face a tenfold increase in the number of heat wave days by 2100.

Man dies in Italy

Farther south, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the Health Ministry.

There were torrential rains in Italy's north on Monday and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks. Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert Tuesday, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported.

An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cause, but heat was suspected. The CGIL labour union said the death of the man, whom it identified as Ait El Hajjam Brahim, owner of Veneto Pavimenti SAS, showed the need for improved measures to protect construction workers from heat exposure.

The Netherlands sweating

An annual event in Amsterdam to commemorate the end of slavery in former Dutch colonies was moved forward to avoid the hottest part of the day and in the northern city of Groningen, organisers of an outdoor concert featuring veteran rocker Neil Young also took measures, including adding extra drinking water taps and providing free sunblock.

The national weather institute issued an alert for extreme temperatures and smog in parts of the country and warned the eastern Netherlands that severe thunderstorms could break out on Wednesday as the hot weather ends.

Portugal improving

In Portugal, Lisbon was forecast to reach 33 degrees Celsius, typical for this time of the year, though some inland areas could still see peaks of 43 degrees Celsius, according to the national weather agency. June temperature records were broken in two locations in Portugal on June 29.

The Portuguese weather service issued a statement Monday night confirming the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6 degrees Celsius on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon. The prior record was 44.9 degrees Celsius in 2017.