Barcelona recorded its hottest month since the record began a century ago, the Spanish National Meteorological Agency said Tuesday.
Located on the hills overlooking Barcelona, the CAN Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature of 26 C, breaking records since 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6 C in 2003.
The same weather station said a June single-day high of 37.9 c was recorded on Monday.
Barcelona usually enjoys the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between the hills and the Mediterranean Sea in the northeast corner of Spain. However, much of the country is attracted by the first heat wave this year.
Even as conditions begin to improve in some parts of the region, a health warning on Tuesday took effect in several EU countries on Tuesday.
The penalty temperature in Paris is expected to reach 40 C and remain unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands. By contrast, temperatures in Portugal fell without red heat warnings.
Spain set a new high in June on Saturday, when 46 C was recorded in the southern province of Huelva, while Sunday's national average was 28 C, with the high temperatures on June 29 set records since its inception in 1950.
“We're seeing these temperatures because we're experiencing a very intense heat wave, which happened early in the summer, which is clearly related to global warming,” Ramón Pascual, regional representative for Spain's Spanish meteorological service in Barcelona, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Major cities and tourist destinations in Europe are being recorded as the temperature of recording is unusually high at the end of June. In southern Europe, hot and dry weather brings conditions to wildfires.
In France, the Paris region was particularly hit hard by the National Meteorological Service Météo-France put multiple departments under the highest red alarm.
The Ministry of Education said the heat wave was defined as a few days of continuous high temperatures and was expected to intensify on Tuesday, with more than 1,300 schools going partially or completely closed.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visit as the city's landmark summit closed until Thursday.
Météo-France also warned that wildfire risks are increasing as drought soils are in trouble, with insufficient rainfall in June and recent temperature surges, increasing wildfire risks.
Climate experts warn that summers ahead may be hotter than any records recorded so far.
By 2100, temperatures in France may be as high as 4°C, with an estimated temperature exceeding 40°C per year and may reach an extreme heat spike of 50°C. According to Météo-France, the country could increase the number of heat wave days tenfold in 2100.
According to the Ministry of Health, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities are experiencing a heat wave.
On Monday, heavy rains were seen in northern Italy, and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered with sludge after the Frejus River exploded its banks. Governor RAI reported that near Bologna was one of the cities that were under a hot alarm Tuesday, a 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving the school parking lot.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause, but calories are suspected. The man's death was identified as Ait El Hajjam Brahim, owner of Veneto Pavimenti SAS, who indicated improvements needed to protect construction workers from heat exposure, the CGIL union said.
Annual event in Amsterdam commemorates the end of slavery in the former Dutch colony to avoid the hottest parts of the day and in the northern city of Groningen, the organizer of an outdoor concert, experienced rock singer Neil Young, also took steps including adding drinking water taps and providing free free tanning and free tanning.
The National Institute of Meteorology has issued a warning about high temperatures and smoke in parts of the country, warning eastern Holland that severe thunderstorms may erupt as the hot weather ends.
According to the National Weather Service, in Portugal, Lisbon is expected to be typical at this time of year, although some inland areas still see a peak of 43 C. Two locations in Portugal broke the June temperature record on June 29.
