Intense heat and record temperatures will mark the summer of Europe this year. The threat of fire will be high in Portugal and the heat waves will last for several days, announces the US website AccuWeather.
Heat waves, temperatures of 43C over several consecutive days, risk of high fire. This is the scenario set for this year’s summer in the Iberian Peninsula – and especially for Portugal -, the AccuWeather meteorology site stated on Tuesday. Night time temperatures will also be hot.
The areas at greatest risk will be from northern Portugal into northern Spain and from the Alps into Germany and Czech Republic.
IPMA RESPONSE
In response IPMA the official weather organisation in Portugal, which issues various alerts, has stated that this will be the trend, in line with climate change, but has given a more “prudent analysis”.
An IPMA spokesman They add this is not new “and that this summer will be marked by temperatures above normal. In fact, this is the trend of recent years in line with the phenomenon of climate change.
However, commenting on the long-term forecasts of AccuWeather that point to hot flashes with temperatures reaching 43ºC, the specialist warns that in terms of weather “can not be generalized” and that it is difficult to do predictions at such a long distance because there are many parameters at play.
“Everything indicates that we have a summer with temperatures above normal … and it is even likely that some points in the country can reach values above 43ºC, ” says the expert, noting that this happened last year. As an example, in August 2018, Setúbal reached 45.9 and some regions surpassed 44ºC.
Thus, IPMA opted for a “prudent analysis”, worked in relation to previous periods, and it is not possible to anticipate heat waves such as those predicted by the US site, although the trend is this
ACCUWEATHER REPORT
“Europe will have a summer full of intense heat,” says the report. The heat wave arrives in June and crosses the Iberian Peninsula, drifting northward during the summer months.
The document highlights that the heat wave coming in the coming weeks will be even stronger and more persistent than last summer, when record temperatures were recorded in countries such as Portugal, Belgium or the Netherlands.
On the mainland, rainfall will be low during the summer months and temperatures will be even higher than those recorded in 2018. Even when the heat waves pass, temperatures will remain close to or even above normal, explains the report of the platform.
The threat of fire then expands to the northeast and will reach France, the Alps and Germany. Between July and August, all of central Europe is expected to be on alert due to the high risk of fire.
Unseasonably warm nights will also be a concern during these heat waves, making for dangerous conditions as homes without air conditioning that will be unable to cool down before heat builds again the following day.
It will be important for residents and visitors to take extra care in the heat to prevent illness. Drinking plenty of water, spending time in the shade and wearing light clothing will be necessary.
When possible, strenuous outdoor activity should be avoided during the hottest part of the day.
Stagnant conditions contributing to the intense heat will also result in poor air quality, especially in and near cities. Air quality may also be worsened by smoke from wildfires.