Western Europe heatwave News

Rhine River Water Level Hits New Low, Forcing Some Barges to Halt Transport

The Rhine River’s water level at a key waypoint hit a new low, risking the transit of fuel and other goods as Europe’s climate crisis exacerbates its energy-supply crunch. The marker at Kaub, a particularly shallow point west of Frankfurt, …

Historic Drought, Low River Levels Threaten to Cripple Trade Across Europe

In the midst of an arid summer that set heat records across Europe, the continent’s rivers are evaporating. The Rhine — a pillar of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies for centuries — is set to become virtually impassable at …

England Records Driest July Since 1935 Amid Searing Heat Wave

England had the driest July since 1935 amid a searing heat wave that pushed infrastructure to the brink and severely disrupted travel. The unusually dry weather came as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time. …

Climate Change Made Deadly UK Heat Wave at Least 10 Times More Likely: Study

The UK’s heat wave earlier this month fueled so many blazes in London that the city’s fire service was busier than any day since Nazi attacks in World War II. More than 840 people may have died in England and …

Alpine Glaciers Decline at Record Rates Following Heatwaves

MORTERATSCH GLACIER, Switzerland – From the way 45-year-old Swiss glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer bounds over icy crevasses, you would never guess he was carrying 10 kg of steel equipment needed to chart the decline of Switzerland’s glaciers. Normally, he heads down …

Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Wineries and Vineyards

In Portugal’s Douro Valley on July 7, a wildfire burned close to Oscar Quevedo’s Quinta da Alegria vineyard. By the middle of the night, flames surrounded it. The vines around the edges, amounting to about a hectare, burned. In his …

Luton Airport Runway Meltdown Shows That Airports Are Vulnerable to Climate Change

The temporary disruption at London’s Luton Airport on Monday when soaring temperatures caused a small section of the asphalt to lift is an example of the challenges airports face in making their infrastructure resilient to climate change, experts say. Below …

Update: Climate Change Alarm Sounded as Wildfires Rage Across Europe

Emergency services battled wildfires across swathes of southern Europe amid mass evacuations on Wednesday, as warnings sounded in London after Britain’s hottest day that the fight against climate change needed to be stepped up. Hundreds fled in central Italy as …

Update: UK Temperatures Hit Record High of 104°F

Temperatures in the UK rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time as a potentially deadly heat wave nears a peak on Tuesday. The temperature at London’s Heathrow Airport hit 40.2°C at about 12:50 p.m., according …

Record Heatwave Scorches Europe, as Wildfires Continue to Rage in France, Spain

Britain was forecast to see temperatures hit 40C (104F) for the first time on Tuesday after logging its warmest night on record, while wildfires raged across parched countryside in France, Spain and elsewhere. As a heatwave that settled over southern …