Holidaymakers warned of wildfire risk as temperatures in Europe to soar again
Firefighters work at the scene of a wildfire in Tabara, northwest Spain in late July. Holiday-goers are being warned of the risk of wildfires breaking out across the continent again. Picture: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
People booked on holidays in Europe are being warned to expect another extreme heatwave that could lead to more deadly wildfires.
Between today and Monday, countries in central and eastern Europe will see waves of scorching temperatures, some as high as 40C.
As a result, the Department of Foreign Affairs has urged caution for those travelling to a number of popular destinations, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, France, and Germany.
Forecasts also indicate extremely high temperatures in eastern Europe over the next four days.
Meteorologist Robert Stefanski, with the World Meteorological Organization, told RTÉ radio: “Heat is building in central and southern Europe. This started in June.
"We had one episode, I think in the middle of, the end of, June.
“Of course in July we saw a lot of heat.
"Now it's continuing, so that pattern for the last two, two and a half months, is still in place."
For Portugal, travellers are advised to observe a “high degree of caution”.
In its latest travel alert, the Department of Foreign Affairs states: “Wildfires are currently being reported throughout Portugal, including near popular tourist destinations in the Algarve. Irish citizens in Portugal should carefully monitor the news as the situation can change fast.
“You should follow the advice of local authorities and be prepared to change your travel plans at short notice.”
Added to that, the department is also warning about “significant” seismic activity around São Jorge island, Azores, about 1,000km from mainland Portugal.
The department says the activity “may indicate a risk of earthquakes or volcanic eruption”.
A high degree of caution is also being urged in Spain.
The department says wildfires are currently being reported throughout Spain, in particular in the Autonomous Communities of Castile and Leon, Galicia, Aragón, Extremadura, and the Canary Islands.
Again, it urges Irish citizens in Spain to carefully monitor the situation, and to be prepared to change travel plans at short notice.
Regional authorities in the French capital Paris have warned residents to be vigilant, with temperatures soaring to 36C.
In a tweet, the Ile-de-France prefecture also asked residents to moderate their water consumption amid a "major dry spell".
Elsewhere in France, some 27 departments have now been placed on "orange alert", with a heatwave spreading mainly to the east of mainland France.
Temperatures are set to hit up to 40C in some places in the south.
According to news agency Reuters, Europe's record-breaking heatwave last month saw England and Wales register nearly 1,700 extra deaths in just one week, early data shows, while Portugal and Spain counted another 1,700.
The figures, which will likely change as records are updated.
"Every heatwave that we are experiencing today has been made hotter and more frequent because of climate change," Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who also co-leads the World Weather Attribution research collaboration, said.
Scientists say that heat extremes that would have happened once every 10 years without human influence on the climate are now three times more frequent.
As well as fires, drought is now also an increasing issue in Europe.
The Dutch government on Wednesday, for example, declared a water shortage, following an unusually dry summer with no rain forecast for the coming two weeks.
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