Extreme heat warnings across Europe as temperatures of almost 50C expected in parts

People enjoy the weather at Seapoint Dublin. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The proverbial chickens are coming home to roost as Europe braces itself for yet another brutal heatwave that could see parts of the continent veer dangerously close to 50C.

That is according to one of Ireland's foremost climate scientists, as predictions that while some parts of Ireland could climb to 30C in the coming days as warm air comes from Africa, parts of Britain could see 40C, and the south of Spain upwards of 47C.

University College Cork (UCC) professor Hannah Daly, an expert in energy systems, said such heatwaves and extreme weather would become increasingly normal as the world warms.

"Extreme weather events such as European heatwaves will get worse until we stop putting CO2 into the atmosphere, that's the bottom line," she said.

High alert

On the continent, authorities are on a state of high alert in the likes of Spain and Portugal, and even Britain, with various warnings about potential deaths, working from home to stay safe, and potentially devastating wildfires.

British authorities issued an amber alert for extreme heat, with the Met Office warning that lives were at risk, as parts of England could reach the 40C mark for the first time in recorded history. 

Portugal, a perennial favourite for Irish holidaymakers, Portugal has declared an eight-day state of alert because of wildfire dangers.

The relentless heatwaves which covered Spain and France last month are set to return, with Sevilla in Spain's south predicted to reach 47C. France, Germany, and Italy are all bracing for temperatures in excess of 40C.

The EU's Copernicus Climate Change service said earlier this year that the continent experienced the warmest summer on record in 2021, at 1C above the 1991-2020 average, and that temperatures of 50C or higher were now inevitable in the future, having reached nearly 49C last year.