The latest news on Southern Europe. Southern Europe is in the grip of an intense heatwave, with countries like Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal seeing some of the highest early-summer temperatures on record.
"Extreme heat is no longer a rare event. It has become the new normal," said António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, at a development conference in Seville on Monday (you can learn more here).
From all these countries, Spain took the hardest hit, with a provisional June temperature record of 46C in El Granado, temperatures not seen since the mid-1960s. The highest temperature previously recorded for June was 45.2C logged in Seville in 1965.
Health authorities have activated emergency protocols, urging people to stay indoors and limit exposure as sweltering days and warm nights push health systems to the limit. The heat has also raised wildfire risks and disrupted schools and workplaces in some parts.