Europe heat wave intensifies as fresh warnings issued
Record-setting temperatures have forced school closures across Europe, with Spain and Portugal bearing the brunt of the heatwave. At least four people have died due to the extreme weather.
German schools seek protection as temperatures set to reach 40 C French and Spanish authorities have each reported two deaths related to the weather conditions Spain and Portugal report record heat in June UN climate agency warns heat waves will become
Here are the top headlines regarding the heat wave in Europe on Wednesday, July 2:
Wildfire kills two in Spain
A wildfire that broke out in Spain's Catalonia region due to the extreme heat and dryness has killed at least two people, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The blaze began in Torrefeta on Tuesday afternoon, and has destroyed large swaths of farmland.
"The fire was extremely violent and erratic due to storms and strong winds, generating a convection cloud that complicated extinguishing efforts," the local fire department said in a statement.
Some 14,000 residents had been warned to stay inside there homes. However, the blaze was largely contained by Wednesday and the area was awaiting thunderstorms that were expected to further extinguish the fire.
Thunderstorms forecasted to bring relief to France, Germany
Meteorologists in France and Germany have predicted that the continent's deadly heatwave will likely break overnight on Wednesday, as rain and thunderstorms roll in from the Atlantic.
"Our latest forecasts confirm the arrival of cooling from the west on Wednesday, which will quickly affect the northwest of the country," Meteo-France said, calling for thunderstorms near the German border.
Germany's national weather service (DWD), said that while the mercury could hit 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country on Wednesday, the average was expected to fall to 27 by Thursday.
In Spain and Italy, which have seen the most extreme temperatures at up to 46 degrees Celsius or 114 Fahrenheit, the weather is expected to cool by the weekend.
2 dead as France marks second-hottest June on record
French scientists have said that June 2025 was the second-hottest for the country since it began keeping records in 1900.