Spanish
Environment Writing.- An "exceptional" heat wave is hitting a large part of Europe with temperatures rising above 42 degrees in some parts of France, Portugal, the Balkans and Spain, and which has put many areas of the continent on alert for extreme fire risk.
Southern France and a large part of the center are on red alert this Monday, according to the meteorological service Météo France, which warns that this heat episode will be "very intense, even exceptional" in 12 departments of the country, with maximums that will very often exceed 40 degrees and locally even 42, which will probably lead to records.
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The meteorological episode that France is experiencing began last Friday and has been spreading from south to north from the heat wave that has been hitting Spain for nine days and which reaches its "peak" of high temperatures this Monday. The extreme situation that began on August 3rd in the Iberian Peninsula will not subside until at least Wednesday, as currently predicted by the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet), which has varied its predictions several times in recent days regarding the exact duration. In a statement released today on his Telegram account, Aemet spokesman José Luis Camacho has forecast for this Monday "the continuation of very high temperature levels in most of the Peninsula, in the Balearic and Canary Islands, with notable increases in the Basque Country and Navarre (north)" with values above 42 degrees.Extreme heat and fires in Portugal
The situation is similar in Portugal where maximum temperatures of 43 degrees are expected to be recorded this Monday on a day in which the state of alert continues due to the high temperatures and as a precaution against fires. Due to today's temperatures, 12 of the 18 districts in the country are under an orange heat warning, while the remaining six districts, located on the north coast, are under a yellow level, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) website. Portugal is experiencing several days of high temperatures and fires, which led the Portuguese government to declare a state of alert until next Wednesday, August 13, the day when the weather forecast is expected to improve. United Kingdom, Switzerland and Italy on alert Much of the United Kingdom enters this week into the fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, according to the British Meteorological Office (MET) reported this Monday. High temperatures will primarily affect England and Wales, due to a warm air current from the south, according to the MET, which warned that tomorrow, Tuesday, temperatures could exceed 33 degrees, which could lead to isolated thunderstorms and rain. Switzerland records similar temperatures with the arrival of a heat wave that could reach highs of 34-37 degrees in Geneva, in the westernmost part of the country, while in other flat areas it will be around 31-34 degrees. The situation in Italy is more extreme with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees and peaks that in some areas of the country could reach 40 degrees until at least the weekend, a situation that will remain at least until the weekend, according to weather forecasts. This is the fourth heatwave of the Italian summer, considered by experts to be the most intense to date, driven by a powerful anticyclone of North African origin that transports warm air of subtropical origin over a large part of the territory, indicated the specialized portal Meteo.it.The Balkans
According to regional weather forecasts, the weather in the Western Balkans throughout the week will be mostly clear, with abundant sunshine and temperatures reaching 41 degrees in North Macedonia, 40 in Serbia, and 39 in Croatia. For their part, the Romanian authorities have issued a weather alert this Monday for the next 24 hours due to the forecast that temperatures will reach highs of 41 degrees in some regions, and with a high risk of fire also due to strong winds. Albania is also facing an intense heat wave, with temperatures of up to 41 degrees, and multiple forest fires, for which it has received urgent assistance this Monday from the United Arab Emirates and several European Union countries to combat the flames and protect the affected areas.
