Extreme heat in Europe: Travel advice updated as wildfires rage in Spain and Greece

Watch live as experts from World Meteorological Organisation speak to reporters during a UN briefing about extreme heat and the health impact of current high temperatures.

A wildfire intensified overnight and swept along forests north of Athens for a second day on Tuesday, authorities said, as fire fighters managed to contain other blazes southeast and west of the Greek capital.

A blaze raged uncontrolled and burned forest in the area of Dervenochoria about 30 km north of Athens, a fire service official said on Tuesday. The fire threatened a pig farm, according to Greek media.

Another fire weakened on Tuesday, having first broke out on Monday in the village of Kouvaras, about 27 kilometres (17 miles) southeast of the Greek capital. Fanned by shifting winds, that fire had quickly spread to the coastal towns of Anavyssos, Lagonisi and Saronida, forcing people to flee their homes.

However, 230 firefighters assisted by 76 fire engines and five helicopters were still operating at different spots in the area, a Greek fire service official said on Tuesday.

“Civil protection forces gave an all-night fight,” Ioannis Artopoios, a Greek Fire Service spokesman, said in a televised briefing, adding that crews have been replaced to tame the fire on multiple fronts.

A mayor told Greek television that more than 7,000 acres of land was reduced to ashes along a coast, where many Athenians have holiday homes.

A thick layer of white smoke was visible from Athens as a third blaze burned near the seaside resort of Loutraki, about 80 km west of the capital.

The Greek meteorological service has warned of a high risk of fire this week, just as the country is recovering from the first major heatwave of the summer. A second heatwave is forecast for later this week.

Britons travelling to Europe have been told to sign up for emergency alerts as the country is gripped by “extreme heat” and wildfires.

The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Spain and Greece, with Britons warned of travel disruption as temperatures soar.

It comes after thousands were evacuated from at least six seaside communities near Athens after their homes were threatened by wildfires.

Much of Greece has been baking in near 40C conditions as a heatwave grips the continent, with temperatures in the southeast European country forecast to climb further later this week and into the weekend.

Travellers from the UK, US and elsewhere in the world may be looking with concern at planned trips to the Mediterranean.

As the busiest summer getaway since 2019 begins, travellers to southern Europe are likely to experience extreme heat. An area of high pressure appears to have settled over the Med with little sign of abating.

The deadly “Cerberus” heatwave (so named by Italian meteorologists) is gripping southern France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey, as well as smaller countries in the Mediterranean region.

Soaring summer temperatures across southern Europe could prompt a lasting shift in tourist habits, with more travellers choosing cooler destinations or taking their holidays in spring or autumn to dodge the extreme heat, tourism bodies and experts predict.

European Travel Commission (ETC) data shows the number of people hoping to travel to the Mediterranean region in June to November has already fallen 10% compared to last year, when scorching weather led to droughts and wildfires.

Destinations like the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland and Bulgaria have meanwhile seen a spike in interest.

“We anticipate that unpredictable weather conditions in the future will have a greater impact on travellers’ choices in Europe,” said Miguel Sanz, the head of the ETC.

A report by the trade body also shows 7.6% of travellers now see extreme weather events as a major concern for trips between June and November.

Among them are Anita Elshoy and her husband, who returned home to Norway from their favourite vacation spot of Vasanello, a village north of Rome, a week earlier than planned this month as temperatures reached around 35C.

“(I) got a lot of pain in the head, legs and (my) fingers swelled up and I became more and more dizzy,” Elshoy said of her heat-related symptoms. “We were supposed to be there for two weeks, but we couldn’t (stay) because of the heat.”

Italy is bracing for its highest-ever temperature today as Sardinia and Sicily have been forecast to reach 48C by European Space Agency.

Twenty red warning alerts have been issued today out of 27 cities in Italy as the country bears another day of the unrelenting heatwave.

Meteorologists predict that temperatures this week may surpass Europe’s current record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.84 Fahrenheit), set in Sicily in August 2021, raising fears of a repetition of last year’s heat deaths.

The Cerberus heatwave has been causing the mercury to rise across southern Europe since last week, bringing temperatures of 40C and upwards in some parts of the continent.

With preliminary figures showing Earth’s average temperature set a new record high on 13 July for the third time in a week, this new spell of hot weather will continue to impact holidaymakers – particularly those heading for the Mediterranean countries of Spain, Italy and Greece – as well as locals.

The heatwave has been caused by a combination of unusually high surface temperatures at sea and an area of high pressure over the Mediterranean, with the addition of clouds of Saharan dust in some areas.

US climate envoy John Kerry is in Beijing as both countries restart climate talks after a halt of a year amid blistering heatwaves affecting both regions and large parts of northern hemisphere.

Mr Kerry met the Chinese climate envoy yesterday and China’s top diplomat today assuring that president Joe Biden’s administration is “very committed” to stabilising relations between the world’s two biggest economies.

Mr Kerry told Wang Yi that Mr Biden hoped the two countries could “achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world.”

Ties between the countries have hit a historic low amid disputes over tariffs, access to technology, human rights and China’s threats against self-governing Taiwan.

In his opening remarks, Mr Wang said the sides had suffered from a lack of communication, but that China believes through renewed dialogue “we can find a proper solution to any problems.”

Switzerland ordered the evacuation of several mountain villages yesterday night as a forest fire spread, amid blistering heat reported across Europe.

About 200 firefighters, army, police and other partners worked alongside helicopters to douse the flames in the canton of Valais throughout the afternoon but it continued to burn.

“The fire is spreading towards Ried-Morel-Riederhorn,” police said in a brief statement on Twitter at 6.30pm GMT, saying they would evacuate the Ried-Morel village, near the town of Brig, which is close to the Italian border. It later added that three other villages were to be evacuated and warned of rockfalls.

It was not immediately clear how many people were affected.

Air Zermatt, which operates four of the helicopters, said efforts to extinguish the fire would continue through the night.

Valais police posted pictures showing a helicopter dangling a water cannon above a forest fire in the afternoon. A later shot showed a much larger fire with smoke eclipsing most of the forest.

The area is affected by the same Mediterranean heatwave affecting southern Europe, with temperatures set to exceed 30C in parts of the Valais canton this week, forecasts show.

Experts have also warned the UK is “dangerously unprepared” for the coming heat because most of its buildings were designed for a colder climate that is now disappearing.