Europe heatwave brings fires, drought and river lows

Much of Europe is bracing for another heatwave, with parts of Britain and France under extreme heat warnings on Monday and fires burning in Greece and Spain.

Temperatures were forecast around the mid-30s Celsius in parts of Britain and France. Unusually high temperatures were also forecast in coming days across Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, while MeteoAlarm said scorching temperatures were already being felt across much of Italy and coastal areas of Croatia.

The United Kingdom's Met Office said the summer's fifth hot spell was expected to spread north across much of the UK, with temperatures reaching the mid-30s Celsius in places. Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought, leaving 23 million people subject to hosepipe bans, with more English regions expected to be declared in drought later Monday and almost no rain forecast for affected areas this week.

In France, Meteo-France warned that the southeast would see temperatures as high as 35C on Monday, with the heat spreading further across the country as the week progresses. It said intense heat would affect almost the entire country between Wednesday and Friday and warned that climate change meant future summers would generally be hotter than those experienced so far.

Greece reported its second fire this season to start near Athens on Monday and sent hundreds of crew and equipment. A blaze that broke out 10 days earlier northwest of the capital has blackened more than 10,000 hectares of pine forests.

Firefighters were also trying to contain a rapidly expanding blaze in southwestern Spain that had forced the evacuation of about 800 people. Local officials said the weather was offering no respite.

France and Spain have already seen historic wildfires this summer, with record drought creating dry conditions. Heat and drought are also driving rivers across Europe to record lows.

Industry groups warned Monday that the Rhine in Germany could drop so low that it becomes unnavigable. Cargo ships have continued moving goods along the river, but with reduced loads and higher costs.

Polish officials said the Vistula, Poland's longest river, matched its record low in Warsaw on Monday. Low Danube levels had made Hungary and Romania consider shutting nuclear plants that rely on the river for cooling in late July, though both avoided doing so for now.

An AFP analysis of national weather agencies and Copernicus climate data found that nearly 120 million Europeans live in regions where July 2026 was the hottest ever recorded, concentrated in southern Britain, western France and northern and eastern Spain.

AFP also found in an analysis of national statistics last month that at least 12,000 excess deaths were recorded across nine European countries during one heatwave in June, a toll that could rise as more data is released.

A solar eclipse on Wednesday is expected to draw skygazers in parts of Europe despite the heat. The European Space Agency's observatory in Teruel, Spain, is due to host activities before the eclipse begins at 7:33 pm CEST and reaches totality at 8:23 pm.