British families heading to Spain, Portugal and Morocco for their summer holidays this week have been warned to brace for a heatwave with highs of up to 46C (115F).
The Met Office said the peak would be this Wednesday when Madrid will reach 39C (102F) and Seville 43C (109F), while Lisbon will get up to 37C (99F).
But the hottest weather in the region will be in Marrakech which will hit 46C on the same day – although temperatures are set to ease by the end of this week.
Met Office senior operational meteorologist Marco Petagna urged visitors to ‘take care’ if travelling to the south-west Europe region over the coming days.
He added that temperatures in the high-20Cs and locally mid-30Cs were typical for the time of year – meaning that those this week are 10C or more above average.
Other global cities expected to hit at least 40C (104F) tomorrow include Baghdad in Iraq (46C), Riyadh in Saudi Arabia (44C) and Abu Dhabi in the UAE (40C).
Spain has already been experiencing very hot temperatures in recent days, with local authorities issuing health alerts and warning of a high risk of wildfires.
In Madrid, homeless people were bussed in from across the capital last week to take shelter in an air-conditioned centre with food, drinks and a washroom area.
Greece has been experiencing its second heatwave of the summer over the last week, which has brought forest fires and 43C (109F) temperatures.
Other countries affected by very hot weather this month include Italy, which put 14 cities under the highest level of alert.
And Croatia has seen a prolonged heatwave with 37C (99F) highs.
Meanwhile the state power company in Serbia reported record consumption last Tuesday because of increased use of air conditioning.
And wildfires have ripped through the popular Cascais coastal area of Portugal amid very dry and windy conditions.
People apply suncream amid a heatwave at Malvarrosa beach in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday
A sunseeker enjoys the heatwave on the Malvarrosa beach in Valencia on Saturday
People apply suncream amid a heatwave at Malvarrosa beach in Valencia on Saturday
A firefighting amphibious aircraft drops water over a forest fire in Cascais, Portugal, yesterday
Dramatic footage taken yesterday showed a ‘major’ wildfire spreading through the countryside, with more than a dozen firefighting aircraft and almost 400 firefighters worked to get the fire under control.
This morning, 156 firefighters remained at the site as the battle against the huge fire continued into what was said to be the final stages.
Meanwhile in Greece, dramatic footage shows how blazes are tearing through forests in various parts of the country, burning non-stop for days after being ignited by lightning strikes and fanned by strong winds.
In the northern mountainous area of Falakro, a wall of flames has been burning grassland for five days straight after lightning strikes ignited two areas, which then merged into a singular large front.
The fire is spreading quickly due to strong winds, Protothema reports, with fire service helicopters continuing to battle the blaze with water dumps amid fears it could spread out of control to residential areas.
Large areas of Europe have been hit by increasingly damaging forest fire seasons in recent years that experts say are driven by rising temperatures fuelled by climate change.
Last summer thousands of British tourists fled Rhodes on evacuation flights due to severe wildfires that swept across parts of the Greek island.
The extreme weather hasn’t just been limited to heat either, with torrential rain and flash floods sweeping through much of Europe.
Policemen control traffic during a forest fire in Alcabideche, Cascais
Heavy smoke and large flames rise at a large forest fire on July 21, 2024, in Cascais, Portugal
A large plume of smoke rises above an apartments complex in Alcabideche, Portugal
A woman saves animals during a forest fire in Alcabideche, Cascais
Two Canadair CL-215 (Scooper) firefighting amphibious aircraft fly over heavy smoke to drop water at a large forest fire in Portugal
A fireman battles a forest fire in Alcabideche. 14 people are said to have been injured in the fire
Cars have been swept away by flash floods in parts of France and the Netherlands over recent days, with streets turning into rivers and people being trapped in their homes and even hospitalised.
Severe storms have proven deadly in the mountains of Germany and Austria, where two young hikers, aged 18 and 22, died in separate incidents after being struck by lightning bolts. Warnings are in place as more stormy weather is expected today.
In France, more than 45,000 lightning strikes were recorded over the weekend, in what is thought to be the worst storm wave of the year.
An ‘intense stormy episode’ which began on Saturday night has led to ‘significant’ flooding in the north-eastern region of Haute-Marne.
Five people were reportedly admitted to hospital following a heavy storm, ‘mainly for hypothermia’, according to regional officials.
Huge hailstones were filmed falling in areas along France’s south-eastern coastline and on the island of Corsica last night, with locals and visitors warned to exercise caution.
Flash floods have also ravaged parts of the country, with people being evacuated from their homes in the early hours of Sunday morning as roads were blocked and power was taken out.
In Britain, temperatures are expected to reach the mid-20Cs in some areas this week as the weather looks set to improve for the start of the summer holidays.
Rain and cloudy conditions were forecast across the UK today with some areas seeing showers which could be heavy, before spells of warm sunshine start to develop.
The mercury will reach 24C (75F) in South East England today ahead of drier and brighter weather tomorrow and Wednesday with sunny spells and highs of 26C (79F).
Another weather system will then move into Britain from the west for Thursday, bringing wet conditions to most of the country, before sunny spells and some showers on Friday.
The Met Office said UK temperatures on Thursday and Friday are expected to be nearer average, with highs of 23C (73F) in the South.
High pressure then looks likely to build during the weekend bringing some drier and more settled weather especially across southern areas and similar temperatures.
| LOCATION | CONDITIONS | HIGH (Celcius) | LOW (Celcius) | HUMIDITY (%) | PRECIPITATION CHANCE (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Showers around | 28 | 24 | 84% | 70% |
| Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Partly sunny | 40 | 32 | 45% | 0% |
| Aleppo, Syria | Very hot | 40 | 25 | 37% | 2% |
| Algiers, Algeria | Breezy in the p.m. | 28 | 20 | 57% | 0% |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | Showers around | 21 | 14 | 80% | 86% |
| Anchorage, United States | Low clouds | 20 | 13 | 78% | 27% |
| Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | Sunlit and very warm | 39 | 29 | 36% | 4% |
| Astana, Kazakhstan | Partly sunny, warm | 32 | 18 | 42% | 7% |
| Asuncion, Paraguay | Partly sunny, warm | 31 | 18 | 48% | 0% |
| Athens, Greece | Mostly sunny and hot | 36 | 26 | 38% | 27% |
| Auckland, New Zealand | Breezy in the p.m. | 15 | 10 | 78% | 78% |
| Baghdad, Iraq | Sunny, breezy, hot | 46 | 32 | 16% | 0% |
| Banda Aceh, Indonesia | Hot with high clouds | 37 | 25 | 56% | 5% |
| Bangalore, India | A t-storm around | 27 | 21 | 73% | 64% |
| Bangkok, Thailand | A couple of t-storms | 34 | 27 | 61% | 84% |
| Barcelona, Spain | Humid | 30 | 22 | 69% | 2% |
| Beijing, China | Very warm and humid | 35 | 26 | 72% | 44% |
| Belgrade, Serbia | Mostly sunny, warm | 32 | 21 | 56% | 72% |
| Berlin, Germany | Partly sunny, warm | 27 | 16 | 60% | 76% |
| Bogota, Colombia | Showers around | 19 | 10 | 66% | 70% |
| Brasilia, Brazil | Mostly sunny | 26 | 11 | 44% | 0% |
| Bratislava, Slovakia | Warm with some sun | 31 | 20 | 50% | 14% |
| Brussels, Belgium | A little a.m. rain | 22 | 14 | 80% | 58% |
| Bucharest, Romania | Partly sunny and hot | 35 | 21 | 46% | 19% |
| Budapest, Hungary | A stray t-shower | 31 | 19 | 56% | 59% |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | High clouds | 19 | 15 | 86% | 5% |
| Bujumbura, Burundi | Clearing | 30 | 20 | 52% | 1% |
| Busan, South Korea | A t-storm around | 31 | 25 | 79% | 45% |
| Cairo, Egypt | Sunny and very hot | 39 | 26 | 37% | 0% |
| Cape Town, South Africa | Afternoon showers | 14 | 11 | 76% | 93% |
| Caracas, Venezuela | A little a.m. rain | 31 | 20 | 70% | 75% |
| Chennai, India | Mostly cloudy, warm | 37 | 27 | 58% | 57% |
| Chicago, United States | A t-storm around | 27 | 21 | 64% | 64% |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka | A stray a.m. t-storm | 31 | 27 | 78% | 74% |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Showers around | 22 | 15 | 70% | 70% |
| Dakar, Senegal | A t-storm around | 31 | 26 | 74% | 73% |
| Dallas, United States | A stray t-storm | 32 | 23 | 67% | 44% |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Warm with clearing | 31 | 21 | 62% | 26% |
| Delhi, India | Rain, a t-storm | 35 | 28 | 72% | 90% |
| Denver, United States | Partly sunny | 32 | 17 | 28% | 12% |
| Dhaka, Bangladesh | A shower and t-storm | 31 | 26 | 84% | 93% |
| Dili, East Timor | Nice with sunshine | 30 | 21 | 55% | 7% |
| Dublin, Ireland | Turning cloudy | 20 | 12 | 68% | 11% |
| Dushanbe, Tajikistan | Mostly sunny, warm | 37 | 23 | 34% | 3% |
| Gibraltar, Gibraltar | Partly sunny | 27 | 21 | 72% | 0% |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | A t-storm around | 30 | 26 | 83% | 96% |
| Harare, Zimbabwe | Sunny and warm | 27 | 9 | 27% | 0% |
| Havana, Cuba | Mostly sunny | 33 | 26 | 70% | 12% |
| Helsinki, Finland | Mostly sunny | 23 | 18 | 83% | 30% |
| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | A couple of t-storms | 32 | 26 | 80% | 90% |
| Hong Kong, China | A t-storm or two | 34 | 27 | 69% | 97% |
| Honolulu, United States | A couple of showers | 31 | 25 | 60% | 90% |
| Hyderabad, India | A stray p.m. t-storm | 29 | 24 | 79% | 57% |
| Islamabad, Pakistan | A strong t-storm | 35 | 26 | 59% | 88% |
| Istanbul, Turkey | A t-storm or two | 32 | 24 | 58% | 74% |
| Jakarta, Indonesia | Partly sunny | 33 | 23 | 69% | 42% |
| Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Mostly sunny, warm | 40 | 31 | 40% | 0% |
| Johannesburg, South Africa | Mostly sunny | 24 | 7 | 29% | 0% |
| Kabul, Afghanistan | Mostly sunny | 35 | 21 | 28% | 2% |
| Karachi, Pakistan | Breezy and hot | 36 | 30 | 64% | 44% |
| Kathmandu, Nepal | Humid with t-storms | 29 | 21 | 80% | 100% |
| Khartoum, Sudan | More clouds than sun | 36 | 27 | 46% | 55% |
| Kiev, Ukraine | Mostly sunny | 29 | 18 | 57% | 30% |
| Kingston, Jamaica | A t-storm around | 33 | 27 | 67% | 50% |
| Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Clouds and sunshine | 31 | 21 | 61% | 28% |
| Kolkata, India | Couple of t-storms | 32 | 26 | 89% | 97% |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | A t-storm around | 35 | 25 | 63% | 44% |
| La Paz, Bolivia | Sunny and mild | 15 | -1 | 34% | 4% |
| Lagos, Nigeria | Rain, a t-storm | 29 | 24 | 76% | 70% |
| Lima, Peru | Mostly cloudy | 18 | 15 | 81% | 2% |
| Lisbon, Portugal | Sunny and hot | 34 | 20 | 46% | 0% |
| London, United Kingdom | A shower | 24 | 16 | 68% | 81% |
| Los Angeles, United States | Mostly sunny | 31 | 19 | 51% | 1% |
| Luanda, Angola | Partly sunny | 26 | 20 | 70% | 4% |
| Madrid, Spain | Sunshine, very hot | 38 | 23 | 32% | 0% |
| Male, Maldives | A p.m. t-storm | 33 | 28 | 70% | 77% |
| Manaus, Brazil | Partly sunny | 34 | 25 | 56% | 3% |
| Manila, Philippines | Breezy with t-storms | 28 | 26 | 92% | 100% |
| Melbourne, Australia | High clouds, breezy | 17 | 10 | 63% | 1% |
| Mexico City, Mexico | Occasional rain | 23 | 14 | 71% | 99% |
| Miami, United States | Humid with a t-storm | 31 | 28 | 74% | 88% |
| Minsk, Belarus | Warm, a p.m. shower | 28 | 16 | 62% | 62% |
| Mogadishu, Somalia | Inc. clouds | 30 | 24 | 70% | 66% |
| Montevideo, Uruguay | Mostly cloudy | 20 | 14 | 90% | 5% |
| Montreal, Canada | A shower | 28 | 17 | 60% | 81% |
| Moscow, Russia | A shower in places | 25 | 14 | 56% | 45% |
| Mumbai, India | Cloudy with t-storms | 29 | 26 | 90% | 100% |
| Nairobi, Kenya | Partly sunny | 24 | 11 | 55% | 9% |
| New York, United States | A t-storm around | 29 | 22 | 70% | 99% |
| Nicosia, Cyprus | Sunshine, very hot | 39 | 24 | 39% | 0% |
| Novosibirsk, Russia | Partly sunny, humid | 25 | 16 | 84% | 8% |
| Osaka-shi, Japan | Partly sunny and hot | 35 | 26 | 57% | 14% |
| Oslo, Norway | A couple of showers | 23 | 15 | 77% | 98% |
| Ottawa, Canada | A shower in places | 28 | 17 | 63% | 44% |
| Pago Pago, American Samoa | Partly sunny, breezy | 30 | 25 | 68% | 8% |
| Panama City, Panama | A t-storm in spots | 30 | 24 | 81% | 59% |
| Paramaribo, Suriname | Mostly sunny | 34 | 23 | 71% | 38% |
| Paris, France | Rain and drizzle | 25 | 14 | 70% | 62% |
| Perth, Australia | A.M. showers, breezy | 16 | 5 | 79% | 80% |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | A stray p.m. t-storm | 33 | 26 | 71% | 58% |
| Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | Breezy in the p.m. | 31 | 24 | 69% | 44% |
| Port-au-prince, Haiti | Mainly cloudy | 35 | 24 | 59% | 36% |
| Prague, Czech Republic | Showers around | 27 | 16 | 49% | 86% |
| Pyongyang, North Korea | A stray a.m. t-storm | 29 | 25 | 85% | 80% |
| Quito, Ecuador | Cloudy | 22 | 7 | 44% | 32% |
| Rabat, Morocco | Partly sunny, warm | 30 | 20 | 70% | 0% |
| Recife, Brazil | Partly sunny, breezy | 29 | 23 | 67% | 3% |
| Reykjavik, Iceland | Periods of rain | 12 | 9 | 90% | 99% |
| Riga, Latvia | High clouds and warm | 27 | 17 | 66% | 45% |
| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Decreasing clouds | 23 | 16 | 75% | 1% |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Sunny and seasonable | 44 | 32 | 13% | 0% |
| Rome, Italy | Sunny and hot | 37 | 22 | 45% | 4% |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | Mostly cloudy | 28 | 15 | 56% | 2% |
| San Francisco, United States | Sunshine, pleasant | 22 | 15 | 69% | 5% |
| San Jose, Costa Rica | Rain, a t-storm | 27 | 19 | 78% | 94% |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | A t-storm around | 32 | 27 | 74% | 75% |
| San Salvador, El Salvador | Clouds and sun | 27 | 19 | 62% | 39% |
| Sana’a, Yemen | Partly sunny | 29 | 17 | 35% | 8% |
| Santiago, Chile | Cooler | 12 | 3 | 83% | 72% |
| Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Showers around | 31 | 24 | 79% | 95% |
| Sao Paulo, Brazil | Sunshine, very hot | 39 | 17 | 29% | 0% |
| Seattle, United States | Partly sunny, nice | 23 | 13 | 54% | 3% |
| Seoul, South Korea | Mostly cloudy, humid | 27 | 25 | 85% | 60% |
| Shanghai, China | Mostly cloudy, hot | 36 | 28 | 60% | 44% |
| Singapore, Singapore | A t-storm around | 33 | 27 | 68% | 49% |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | A t-trmaround | 28 | 16 | 60% | 44% |
| St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda | Sunlit and nice | 32 | 27 | 68% | 58% |
| Stockholm, Sweden | A couple of showers | 22 | 16 | 81% | 90% |
| Sydney, Australia | Plenty of sunshine | 20 | 8 | 54% | 1% |
| Taipei City, Taiwan | A stray t-storm | 36 | 27 | 68% | 99% |
| Tallinn, Estonia | A little p.m. rain | 26 | 17 | 68% | 85% |
| Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Sunny and very hot | 39 | 23 | 25% | 2% |
| Tbilisi, Georgia | Sunny and hot | 35 | 21 | 46% | 6% |
| Tehran, Iran | Sunny and very warm | 39 | 28 | 21% | 2% |
| Tel Aviv, Israel | Sunny and humid | 33 | 27 | 61% | 1% |
| Tirana, Albania | Hot with sunshine | 37 | 21 | 47% | 6% |
| Tokyo, Japan | A t-storm or two | 36 | 27 | 65% | 70% |
| Toronto, Canada | An afternoon shower | 26 | 20 | 67% | 64% |
| Tripoli, Libya | Not as warm | 30 | 25 | 67% | 2% |
| Tunis, Tunisia | Sunny and breezy | 34 | 24 | 52% | 1% |
| Ulan Bator, Mongolia | A couple of t-storms | 26 | 13 | 64% | 79% |
| Vancouver, Canada | Partly sunny, nice | 22 | 14 | 63% | 10% |
| Vienna, Austria | Becoming cloudy | 29 | 20 | 52% | 30% |
| Vientiane, Laos | A t-storm around | 33 | 25 | 67% | 65% |
| Vilnius, Lithuania | Increasing clouds | 26 | 16 | 62% | 37% |
| Warsaw, Poland | Not as warm | 27 | 15 | 52% | 3% |
| Wellington, New Zealand | Breezy in the a.m. | 12 | 8 | 66% | 24% |
| Yangon, Myanmar | Cloudy with t-storms | 29 | 25 | 87% | 99% |
| Yerevan, Armenia | Sunny and nice | 31 | 19 | 40% | 6% |