(Bloomberg) -- Paris is forecast to reach 38C (100F) on Tuesday, the hottest since 2022, while night will bring little relief to the Olympic city.
By early Wednesday morning, temperatures will only drop to 24C, giving the French capital its hottest night in five years, according to Meteo France and data from Weather Service International. The majority of the country faces yellow or orange heat alerts, with the town of Menton near Monaco recording a minimum of 28C last night.
France’s first national heat wave of the summer comes as a blast of hot air spreads north from Spain, where temperatures are forecast to climb as high as 43C over the coming days.
Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of summer heat waves, while the highest average temperature on Earth was recorded last week.
London is set to reach 32C on Tuesday, in what could be the city’s hottest day this year. A yellow heat-health alert — with elevated risks for people over the age of 65 — is in place for much of England until Friday.
As temperatures soar across the Mediterranean, wildfire risks are also increasing.
In Greece, there were 54 wildfires in the 24 hours to 6.30 p.m. on Monday. A strong wind in the Aegean Sea is increasing risks, while parts of the mainland will see heat of 43C by the end of the week. Athens, along with many islands, including Crete and Corfu, are on very high alert.
A fire on the island of Evia fire that forced evacutions after burning through the night has been brought under control. In Mouries, close to the border with North Macedonia, firefighters are tackling another blaze, while another wildfire has broken out in Marathona, northeast of Athens.
“We are managing a very difficult summer in terms of climatic conditions,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “We still have a very difficult month ahead of us.”
In Albania, tourists and residents have been evacuated as a wildfire threatens the Shengjin region in the north of the country. About 200 firefighters on the are trying to bring the blaze under control.
The Italian island of Sardinia is also on high alert, after firefighters contained an outbreak close to city of Nuoro, where temperatures are forecast to rise to 40C by Thursday.
In Croatia, four aircraft have been deployed to help quell a fire that erupted at Skradin near the Adriatic coast, engulfing a house and several cars.
--With assistance from Irina Vilcu, Gresa Kraja, Jasmina Kuzmanovic and Alberto Brambilla.
(Updates with fires in Greece, Albania, Croatia and Sardinia from eighth paragraph)
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