‘Episodes of extreme heat’
The blistering early-summer heatwave, which is bringing life-threatening temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere, is a worrying sign of things to come, according to UN weather experts on July 1, 2025.
Three days after Spain’s national weather service confirmed a record 46°C reading in the southern town of El Granado, there has been little let-up in stifling day and night temperatures across the continent and beyond.
In Barcelona, a road sweeper reportedly died on June 29 after completing her shift, prompting an investigation and widespread public appeals to keep out of the sun wherever possible.
“Everybody is at risk,” says Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO): “If you go out without water in the middle of the day, to do jogging, have a bike ride, you will probably have health problems or even die.”
If part of the reason for Europe’s heat misery is that it is in the grip of a strong high-pressure weather front trapping hot air from northern Africa, Nullis notes that “human-induced climate change” is the source of these acute weather events.
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Another part of the climate puzzle is that sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are exceptionally high for this time of year. “It’s the equivalent of a land heatwave”, the WMO spokesperson says.
“Extreme heat creeps up on you,” she adds, while dangerously warm conditions are becoming “more frequent, more intense” because of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels.
“It’s something we have to learn to live with,” Nullis maintains, highlighting the importance of early warnings from national meteorological and hydrological services to prevent more deaths from extreme heat events, which are often “under-reflected” in official statistics.
According to the UN agency, night-time minimum temperatures and daytime maximum temperatures broke monthly station records for June in parts of Western and Southwestern Europe, partly explaining why the heatwave is so draining.
“The frequency and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing in Europe, and by 2050, about half the European population may be exposed to high or very high risk of heat stress during summer,” Nullis warns.
“What is exceptional – and I would stress exceptional, but not unprecedented – is the time of year. We are on 1 July and we are seeing episodes of extreme heat, which normally we would see later on.”
Image: “By 2050, about half the European population may be exposed to high or very high risk of heat stress during summer.” Credit: Alex P
