More than a 1,000 firefighters have contained a blaze in the south of Portugal, while Spain braces for more heat and parts of Norway reel from the worst storm in 100 years.
(Bloomberg) — More than a 1,000 firefighters have contained a blaze in the south of Portugal, while Spain braces for more heat and parts of Norway reel from the worst storm in 100 years.
Cooler weather helped to bring the wildfire in Odemira under control. Over the past five days, the blaze burned about 10,000 hectares, destroyed a hotel and homes, and forced the evacuation of more than 1,400 people. Portuguese fire services are still on high alert in Braganca in the north, after temperatures climbed to 44.4C on Tuesday.
In Greece, 47 fires were brought under control in the past 24 hours, but eight regions remain on high alert as strong winds increase risks. On Wednesday afternoon, authorities ordered residents to evacuate two areas near the town of Marathona, east of Athens, due to a wildfire.
Spain has issued a number of red weather warnings, including for Andalucia and Madrid, with highs of 44C (111F) expected.
July was officially the earth’s hottest month on record, causing the Antarctic to shrink at a record pace. Wildfires in Canada burned an area roughly the size of Iceland, while those in Greece forced thousands of tourists to flee the island of Rhodes. Scientists say the extreme weather events across the Northern Hemisphere would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, but efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels fall well short of what’s required to address a rapidly warming planet.
While the Iberian peninsula bakes, cooler temperatures and destructive storms have battered northern Europe.
Sweden still has a red warning in place for flooding, but the brunt of Storm Hans has been felt in Norway. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the worst hit areas of the country, with heavy rain triggering landslides and road closures.
While some parts of the country are enduring their worst storm in a century, the far north of Norway is experiencing dry and unseasonably warm weather. That prompted an orange alert for wildfires, the second-highest risk level.
Cyclone Circe is hitting northern France, bringing 100 kilometer (62 miles) per hour winds to Saint-Malo, while gales are forecast for the German island of Sylt and other parts of the north coast.
–With assistance from Lars Paulsson.
(Updates Portugal fire being contained in first paragraph, Greek evacuations in third and 100-year storm in seventh)
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