Killer heat dome descends on Europe: Spain braces for record 47C temperatures, roads melt in Italy and wildfires rip through Greece — while deadly storms turn roads to rivers in France and Germany

Temperatures in Spain could reach a hellish 47C this weekend, while sweltering infernos in Italy have led to roads melting as raging wildfires continue to tear through Greece. 

A tourist died from heatstroke on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Thursday as a baking heatwave from Africa neared the Iberian Peninsula, with temperatures set to soar dramatically over the coming days.

Meteorologist Gernot Schutz expects record-breaking temperatures to peak between Saturday and next Wednesday, saying that ‘during this period, temperatures in the south could rise to 45 degrees Celsius, and in some places reach 46 or 47 degrees Celsisus.’

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Spain was 47.4 degrees Celsius in La Rambla, Andalucia, in 2021.

Weather expert Nacho Espinos has advised Spaniards to ‘remain indoors as much as possible’ and to avoid strenuous outdoor activities as the country prepares for the most extreme heatwave of the year.  

In Greece, firefighters have been battling a wildfire that burned residences and holiday houses near the coastal town of Palaia Fokaia near Athens, which has forced people to flee. 

Fires have burned throughout the week in Greece, where frequent wildfires and floods in recent years have been exacerbated by a changing climate.

In the area of Palaia Fokaia, 130 firefighters were supported by 12 aircraft and 12 helicopters as they sought to put out flames that were whipped up by high winds.

Greek police have moved to safety 40 people, firebrigade spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis told a televised news conference, adding that coastguard vessels had sailed to the area to assist with more evacuations if needed.

‘Firefighters are fighting a huge battle with the flames, mainly near houses,’ he said, adding that a seaside roadway running across the affected areas was protectively cordoned off.

Footage showed thick grey smoke rising over the region with lush vegetation, where air temperatures soared to 38 Celsius  on Thursday.

Authorities said the risk of wildfires would remain high on Friday before the weather got cooler.

Greece has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and to acquire new and modern firefighting equipment to deal with wildfires, which have been made harder to contain by rising summer temperatures.

It has increased its number of firefighters to a record 18,000 this year in anticipation of another difficult wildfire season.

Hundreds of firefighters in Greece also battled a wildfire which burned out of control on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, with authorities issuing multiple evacuation orders. 

Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a state of emergency and have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos.

By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. 

Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support.

Emergency services issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island’s main town.

Temperatures are also soaring over 40 degrees in Italy, the Balkans and Turkey. 

A motorway in Northern Italy was closed yesterday as burning temperatures caused roads to melt, local media reports. 

Severe forest fires destroyed around 700 hectares of land on the Croatian coast this week, while local authorities warned of extreme heat in the capital Zagreb. 

One firefighter and several residents were injured while dozens of people were evacuated this week as a large fire broke out on the Croatian Adriatic coast.

The fire around the small town of Pisak, near the capital Split, spread fast and enflamed bushes near a tourist resort, as the Croatian air force deployed specialized planes to battle the blaze.

Roads were closed in the south of Split in the direction of town of Makarska, and nearly 200 firefighters were deployed to contain the raging fire in the hills above the coastline.

Croatia is prone to wildfires in the summer, but this year fires begun early in the season.

Rescue services set up an reception center in town of Omis, aimed to temporarily house stranded tourists and locals who are displaced by the fire.

In Albania, firefighters also brought eight fires under control this week.  

But with extreme heat, violent storms can also strike. 

Two people were killed yesterday and 17 more were injured during a deadly torrential storm in France that toppled trees and flooded the streets of Paris.

In the south of France, a falling tree crushed a 12-year-old child to death and a man died when his quad bike hit a toppled tee in the north.  

The French civil defence agency said power was lost to 110,000 homes in the storm, which swept France following a heatwave.

The rain also caused parliament’s roof to leak as the prime minister spoke in the French capital. 

Elsewhere in Germany, severe summer storms left one person seriously injured after violent hail and powerful gusts of wind tore through the country.

Chaos struck Berlin’s public transport system on Thursday, with the storm forcing the city’s S-Bahn to completely shut down for the evening. 

‘Due to weather-related disruptions (fallen trees), train service on the entire S-Bahn network will be suspended’, S-Bahn wrote on X last night.

In Venice, a freak thunderstorm forced Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos to cut their pre-wedding celebrations short on Thursday, with A-list guests seen taking cover from the downpour.

Guests dived for cover under cloisters as lightening bolts flashed across the sky and thunder rumbled overhead at the end of what was a torridly humid day. 

Torrential downpours and a strong wind left guests soaked as they then dashed for water taxis which had been scrambled a good 45 minutes ahead of the midnight finish time.

The strong gusts of winds whipped table cloths away and sent waiters scurrying for umbrellas to protect the VIP attendees.

It also comes as Britain braces to have its second heatwave of the year this weekend, with parts of the country put under amber heat health alerts, as temperatures soar to 34C. 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the alert this morning to cover five regions of England — the East Midlands, South East, South West, East and London .

A yellow health alert has also been issued for the Yorkshire and Humber and West Midlands regions. Both alerts begin at 12pm tomorrow and end at 6pm next Tuesday. 

The Government agency has warned that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services, including an increase in demand, during the alert period.

Highs of 27C (81F) today are set to be followed by 28C (88F) tomorrow, 29C (84F) on Saturday, 31C (88F) on Sunday, 34C (93F) on Monday and 31C (88F) on Tuesday.

The UKHSA activated the five-day alert amid concerns that there could be ‘a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions’.

The warning said ‘significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures’ along with ‘increased demand for power exceeding capacity’ and ‘heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services’.

It told of ‘indoor environments overheating, increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings’; and ‘internal temperatures in care settings may exceed recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment’.

There could also be ‘issues managing medicines’; ‘staffing issues due to external factors’; and ‘other sectors starting to observe impacts — for example, travel delays’.

The UK’s hottest day of the year so far was recorded last Saturday when Charlwood in Surrey reached 33.2C (91.8F) – but this could be beaten over the coming days.