What does extreme heat in Europe reveal about the future of the planet?

Italy has issued red alerts for 18 cities, while in Germany temperatures were forecast to peak at 40C in some areas, making it the hottest day of the year. In recent days, thermometers recorded 46C in El Granado in southwestern Spain on Saturday (28) and 46.6C in south-central Portugal on Sunday (29).

According to experts, heat waves are becoming more frequent and arriving earlier and earlier, exposing the impacts of climate change. To make matters worse, this increases the risk of fires.

"In some places in Europe, we are experiencing temperatures that have never been recorded before, so it is really unusual," said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Spain-based Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Western Europe is under the influence of a strong high pressure system, trapping dry air from North Africa, the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) reported yesterday.

A heatwave is the result of what is known as a heat dome - a powerful area of ​​high pressure in the atmosphere. It causes air to sink, compress and heat up, suppresses cloud cover and results in strong sunshine.