Hotter than Dubai: Parts of Europe bake in temperatures higher than in the Emirates

Air swept up from North Africa causing mercury to rise well above 40°C in some cities

A building destroyed by a wildfire in Mandra, north-west of Athens. Bloomberg

A helicopter sprays water to douse a fire in Dervenochoria, Greece. AFP

People try to escape the heat by swimming at Poetto beach in Sardinia, Italy. Bloomberg

A fireman tries to control a wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens, Greece. AFP

A man cools off at a fountain near the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Reuters

A resident inspects his home, which was completely destroyed by fire in Dervenochoria. EPA

Lemurs try to reach iced fruit at the Rome Zoo in Italy. AFP

Firefighters and volunteers work to extinguish a burning field during a wildfire in Saronida, south of Athens. Bloomberg

Burnt trees after a wildfire in Kouvaras, near Athens. Reuters

A woman covers herself with a scarf in Avignon, southern France. AFP

A boy cools down at the Barcaccia fountain in Rome. AFP

People play in the shore of the Aguilar de Campoo reservoir in Spain. AFP

An umbrella provides shade during a heatwave in Rome. The Italian Health Ministry has put out a red alert. EPA

Cooling off in a fountain in St Peter's square, Vatican City. AFP

Swanning about in the sun is child's play, near Messina in Sicily. AFP

The Tijarafe wildfire advances on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain. Reuters

Tourists are hot to trot in a horse-drawn carriage in Seville, Spain. AFP

A tree provides shelter from the sun in Thessaloniki, Greece, where a four-day heatwave has led to temperatures of up to 44°C. EPA

A father and daughter are shrouded by mist from a public fountain in Bucharest, Romania. AP

People in the UAE looking to escape the summer heat would be well advised to steer clear of southern Europe right now, as the region bakes in extreme temperatures.

The area has entered its second week of searing heat, with some cities recording temperatures higher than those in the Emirates.

It comes as the United States and north-western China also fry in abnormally high temperatures for this time of year.

In China, the national record has been broken, with reports citing the Meteorological Administration revealing that the temperature rose to 52.2°C in the province of Xinjiang on Sunday.

Similarly, in Death Valley National Park in California, temperatures soared well above 50°C and have come close to breaking the record for the area.

Temperature records could fall this week in Europe, as forecasters predict the heatwave will cause the mercury in some areas to soar well above 40°C, potentially putting the lives of more vulnerable residents at risk.

A worker in Sevilla, southern Spain, cools off as a heatwave continues to sweep across parts of Europe. AFP

Spain

Among the European locations set to be hotter than Dubai for at least part of this week is Cordoba in southern Spain, where the UK’s Met Office forecast a high of 44°C on Monday. Authorities have issued a red alert in southern Spain because of the hot weather.

On Tuesday the heat is set to move north and east, with the Spanish city of Zaragoza set to experience a high of 44°C, which is 2°C hotter than the maximum forecast for Dubai that day.

Italy

The Italian island of Sardinia, which lies to the west of mainland Italy, is set to be almost as hot, with a high of 41°C forecast for Tuesday.

The European Space Agency has warned temperatures on Sardinia, and on the Italian island of Sicily, which sits off the southern tip of the mainland, could hit 48°C, up to 14°C warmer than Fujairah this week.

A sign shows the temperature in Rome. EPA

Greece

Greece, too, has been hit by uncomfortably high temperatures, so much so that authorities temporarily closed the Acropolis in Athens to tourists.

The extreme temperatures are the result of a high-pressure system over the Mediterranean that is drawing hot air from North Africa.

A heat dome effect, described by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as something that happens when the atmosphere "traps hot ocean air like a lid or cap", has meant the hot weather has persisted. This has also been the case in the parts of the US.

Global warming

Climate change, which has caused numerous temperature records to be smashed in recent years, is another reason why the mercury is rising so high.

"We know that the Earth is warming, and last month was the warmest June on record globally as the average temperature rises, and so [does] the frequency and intensity of extreme heat periods," said Bob Ward, from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in the UK.

"What we’re seeing in the US and southern Europe is exactly what we have expected from climate change."

Europe’s hottest temperature was recorded in Sicily in August 2021, when the mercury rose to 48.8°C.

Mr Ward said heat domes appeared to be becoming more common.

"The heat domes are high-pressure systems that essentially stay very stable over an area for several days and you get these extended periods of high temperatures and that’s what we’ve been seeing in the southern US and over the Mediterranean," he said.

"These stable high-pressure systems are looking to be becoming more frequent but it’s not clear whether that’s due to climate change.

"The occurrence of the heat domes is mainly an issue that affects the length [of the heatwave], whereas the intensity is undoubtedly due to climate change."

As well as extreme heat, southern Europe has been hit by wildfires, with thousands of homes evacuated on the Spanish island of La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, off north-west Africa.