Southern Europe Hit by First Heatwave of the Year

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Southern Europeans on Saturday experienced the first heatwave of the northern hemisphere summer, as climate change pushed thermometers in the world's warmest continent further into the red.

Temperatures were forecast to rise to 37 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rome, driving many tourists and Catholic pilgrims from the Eternal City to the Vatican to the Italian capital's 2,500 public fountains to cool off.

With residents of the southern port city of Marseille expected to face temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), authorities in France's second-largest city ordered public swimming pools to be made free to help residents cope with the Mediterranean heat.

Two-thirds of Portugal will be on high alert on Sunday, June 29, 2025, for extreme heat. Forest fires with temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) are expected in the capital Lisbon, while visitors - and protesters against - Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos' wedding in Venice on Friday also sweltered under the blazing summer sun.

"I try not to think about it, but I drink a lot of water and never stand still, because that's when you get sunstroke," Italian student Sriane Mina said Friday in Venice, CNA reported.

Scientists have long warned that humans' burning of fossil fuels is warming the world with devastating consequences for the environment, with summer heat waves becoming increasingly common in Europe a direct result of that warming.

The heat wave is expected to intensify on Sunday.

Spain, which has in recent years suffered a series of deadly summer forest fires that have ravaged the Iberian Peninsula, is expected to see peak temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in much of the country.

According to the Spanish meteorological agency, temperatures could even reach 42 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, including the Guadalquivir, Guadiana and Tagus regions.

The past three years have been the hottest on record for Spain.

With peaks of 39 degrees Celsius (101 degrees Fahrenheit) expected in Naples and Palermo, Sicily has ordered a ban on working outdoors during the hottest hours of the day, as has the northern Italian region of Liguria.

The country’s trade unions are campaigning to extend the measure to other parts of the country.

In Nice, on the French Riviera, almost 250 portable fans have been distributed to schools over the past two weeks to help cope with the heat.

The heatwave follows a series of record-breaking extreme temperatures, including Europe’s hottest March on record, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitor.

As global warming progresses, extreme weather events such as storms, droughts, floods and heatwaves like this weekend’s are becoming more frequent and intense, scientists warn.

By some estimates, 2024 will be the hottest year on record so far, with disasters around the world costing more than $300 billion.

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