(Bloomberg) -- Soaring temperatures will scorch Paris over the next few days, triggering a yellow heat wave alert in the city hosting the Olympics.
Paris will reach as high as 37C (99F) on Tuesday, the hottest since 2022. Parts of southern France will exceed 40C, with about 40% of the country’s departments facing orange heat warnings on Monday and Tuesday, according to Meteo France. The searing temperatures will last until at least Wednesday evening.
London will climb to 32C on Tuesday, with the Met Office forecasting heat wave conditions this week. A yellow heat-health alert — with elevated risks for people over the age of 65 — is in place for much of England.
Climate change is bringing hotter summers to Europe as the intensity and frequency of heat waves increases. The highest average temperature on Earth was recorded last week, according to preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Temperatures could hit 43C in the Spanish interior on Monday, while the heat has also returned to Greece. That’s increasing wildfire risks across the Mediterranean.
Inhabitants of the villages of Petries and Krieza on the Greek island of Evia have been told to evacuate as firefighters, supported by 11 planes and 3 helicopters, tackle a huge forest blaze that’s being fanned by a strong wind.
In Greece, there were 109 fires in the 72 hours to 6.30 p.m. Sunday, with Athens among the areas on very high alert.
Despite being the worst fire season in two decades, Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilas said that new procedures, including the use of drones for spotting blazes, were helping the authorities to bring wildfires under control.
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Bulgaria is trying to contain a wildfire that spread across the border from neighboring Greece into territory that contains a minefield. Both countries are using helicopters and planes to fight the blaze, and the army has provided specialized machinery.
Further north, a massive storm hit Latvia and Lithuania on Sunday evening. As many as 190,000 people lost power, while the heavy rain and strong winds disrupted flights and rail services.
--With assistance from Sotiris Nikas, Aaron Eglitis and Slav Okov.
(Updates with details throughout and latest on Greek fires in sixth paragraph)
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