Heatwave Europe: Maps show historic hot weather in the U.K., France, and across the continent

Those on the other side of the Atlantic this week are facing boiling temperatures as a heatwave engulfs much of Western Europe. Many countries are expected to see record-breaking highs on Monday and Tuesday and, as a result, thousands of deaths are possible.

As Politico notes, the European heatwave is being brought to the continent by a high-pressure pocket of extremely hot air that is slowly making its way up from North Africa. This pocket of air could cause record-breaking temperatures in several European countries.

Just how bad are things expected to get? As USA Today reports, the U.K. could see temps as high as 104º F. That’s an all-time record. Both Spain and Portugal could see highs of 120º F. A simple check of any weather app also shows locals in Germany and Italy could also see highs of nearly 100º F this week.

But to really put in perspective just how massive Europe’s heatwave is, you simply have to look at any interactive weather map. We’ve rounded up a few here:

VentuSky
WorldWeatherOnline

You see those massive swaths of dark purple? That’s where temperatures of over 100º F are expected this week.

And, of course, plenty of people on Twitter are pointing out that we can only expect to see more dramatic heatwaves across the globe as man-made climate change continues to alter weather patterns everywhere in the world.

Today and tomorrow will be one of the worst, if not the worst heatwave events in the modern history of western Europe.

If you ever can feel the direct impacts of human-induced climate change, it’s now. pic.twitter.com/MQw8zbn60l

— Mika Rantanen (@mikarantane) July 18, 2022