Over the weekend, Portugal declared a state of alert in response to escalating wildfire threats triggered by extreme heat. Forecasts indicate temperatures between 36°C and 44°C in the coming days, with five northern districts on red alert through Tuesday. The rest of the mainland is under orange warnings, except Faro in the south, which is on yellow alert.
Portugal's Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, announced sweeping preventive measures, including a ban on entering or staying in forested areas. The government also prohibited fireworks, machinery use, and any burning activities, citing high heat and low humidity as critical wildfire risk factors. On Sunday, wildfires in northern Portugal forced the evacuation of at least one village in the Douro region.
In neighbouring Spain, the second major heatwave of the summer is intensifying as hot air masses from North Africa blanket the Iberian Peninsula. The sweltering conditions, expected to persist until the end of the week, are sparing only the Cantabrian coast and the Canary Islands.
Temperatures are anticipated to surpass 40°C in regions including Andalucía, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and Galicia, with some parts of the Guadalquivir Valley potentially reaching 42°C. The Spanish Ministry of Health has issued "red risk" health alerts for hundreds of municipalities nationwide.
Scientists note that Spain and Portugal are enduring their most prolonged and intense heatwave since the 1960s, with some areas seeing daily highs above 30°C for weeks. The situation has raised concerns about more frequent and severe heatwaves in the years ahead.
Elsewhere in Europe, Nordic countries—typically spared from southern-style heat—are also experiencing highly unusual temperatures. Finland recorded three consecutive weeks with temperatures exceeding 30°C in July. In Norway, meteorologists confirmed that 12 days in July brought temperatures over 30°C in the country's northernmost regions. Northern Sweden has also reported extended periods of abnormal heat.
The high temperatures have been accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning strikes, some of which have ignited wildfires in affected areas. Over the weekend, eastern Poland was placed under warnings for storms, heavy rain, and extreme heat. Gusts reaching up to 80 km/h and hail are expected, particularly in the Warmian-Masurian, Masovian, Lublin, and Subcarpathian regions. Rainfall totals may reach up to 45mm in some areas, with temperatures hovering around 30°C.
Meanwhile, Italy appears to be transitioning out of its turbulent summer weather. After a season dominated by heatwaves and unstable conditions, rainstorms have moved into several areas, particularly along the Adriatic coast. In one dramatic incident, a 70-year-old man was struck by lightning on a beach in Piombino during a storm. Emergency responders were able to revive him after 30 minutes of resuscitation, and he was later transported to a local hospital.
As Europe confronts another extreme summer, authorities across the continent continue to issue heat and storm warnings, with fire prevention efforts intensifying in high-risk zones. The growing frequency and severity of such events underscore the increasingly volatile impact of climate change on the region's weather patterns.