Karmactive Staff
11:33 AM PDT – 30/06/2025Ā
A heat dome acts like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air under high pressure that blocks cooling winds and stops clouds from forming while letting more sun heat reach the ground.
This weather system pushed temperatures to a record-breaking 46.6Ā°C in Portugal and gave Spain its hottest June ever recorded as the dome sat over Western Europe for days.
Climate change has made these heat domes more intense and start earlier in the year, with Europe now warming twice as fast as the rest of the world since global temperatures rose 1.3 degrees above pre-industrial times.
07:00 AM PDT- 30/06/2025
Severe heat was recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert Sunday for extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42 C (107 F) in Lisbon. In Italy, a few regions like Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record-high temperatures.
Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather. The first summer heat wave is expected to continue throughout the weekend. A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon.
In Spain, locals and tourists were desperately trying to keep cool this weekend, as the country sizzled in temperatures as high as 42 C (107 F) in the southern city of Seville along with other locations in southern and central parts of the country.
04:08 AM PDT – 30/06/2025
A powerful heatwave has triggered dangerous wildfires across Turkey and France, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes as temperatures climb past 40 degrees Celsius.
Turkish authorities evacuated four villages and two neighborhoods in Izmir province while French officials placed 84 departments under orange heat alerts and closed 200 schools to protect students.
The fires in France’s Aude region have already burned through 400 hectares of land, while Spain faces its hottest June ever recorded with temperatures reaching 42 degrees in some areas. Climate scientists point to these extreme events as clear signs of global warming, with Earth’s temperature now sitting 1.4 degrees higher than it was before the industrial age began.
