EUROPE (Washington Insider Magazine) – Europe braces for several more days of discomfort from the latest European heatwave. With temperatures rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the United Kingdom faced the hottest temperature on record (104.5F) this past week.
Temperatures are suspected to surpass the record high in the coming days, giving many concerns about the fragility of life and land. Residents have coined this wave of temperatures as the European Heatwave of 2022.
Extreme heat advisories were issued across Europe this week. As a result of the heatwave, wind-fueled fires are unpredictably spreading fast across multiple areas, jumping lines of protection, and causing havoc for many.
The rage of these fires has affected many of the lower European countries, such as France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. In London, firefighters are tirelessly engaged in more than 10 widespread fires across the region, which have been thinning the key physical resources available–such as water and crops.
The damage doesn’t stop with the flames. Across Europe, over 1,500 people have lost their lives due to the heat, and several more have lost their homes
due to fire.
In France, a zoo lost over a dozen animals to the high temperatures, and several hundred other zoo animals had to be relocated to a cooler area.
This heatwave comes as a surprise, especially to local Londoners. The region has
average daytime temperatures resting around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and as with most cooler locations, homes, and businesses do not come equipped with the proper cooling elements needed for rising temperatures.
As anticipated, the extreme heat has caused many to seek relief near rivers, lakes, and reservoirs; however, several have drowned while trying to cool their internal
temperature.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) brought some relief to Europe when it announced last week that the hottest days on record have reached its peak. Even though Europe may have seen the
worst of record high temperatures, the heat is expected to last well into the month of August.
It is believed that human-induced climate change is to blame, which will eventually increase the number of warmer days in a year and reduce colder seasons. The main concern of global warming is the effects that the warmer climate will have on agriculture and health.
