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Europe Under Climate Emergency: Sahara Heat Dome Triggers Red Alert in 6 Countries

23/06/2026 18:14 - Internacionales

🌍 What is a Heat Dome?

The phenomenon affecting Europe is technically called a heat dome: a mass of high-pressure hot air that gets trapped near the surface, preventing heat from escaping into the upper atmosphere. This dome, originating in the Sahara Desert, was pushed by an African anticyclone and settled over the European continent.

The result: temperatures exceeding 46°C (115°F) in some areas, with nights that do not drop below 25°C (77°F) in many places, preventing the human body from recovering physiologically.

🇫🇷 FRANCE: The Hardest Hit Country

  • 40 deaths by drowning since June 18, 2026, mostly young people
  • 2 children (ages 2 and 4) found dead inside a car in the southeast
  • 54 of 96 departments on red alert (39 million people affected)
  • 1,350 schools closed
  • Hottest night since 1947: thermal indicator of 21.6°C (71°F)
  • Nuclear reactor shut down in Golfech (Garona River water exceeded 28°C)

🇪🇸 SPAIN: Extreme Alerts

  • Red alert in Córdoba, Bilbao, and Cantabria
  • 40-42°C (104-108°F) in the eastern Cantabrian and major river valleys
  • Restrictions on fireworks for San Juan festivities in Catalonia
  • Fan zone for the World Cup closed in Madrid
  • Tropical nights: temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F) in Almería

🇮🇹 Italy

Red alert level 3 in 15 cities

Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Florence, Perugia, and Rieti

🇩🇪 Germany

5 deaths from swimming accidents

Up to 40°C (104°F) in the west and southwest

Electrical storms in Berlin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Red alert for June 25-26, 2026

Up to 39°C (102°F) expected

3,000 lightning strikes over London in 2 hours

📊 Climate Context: A Phenomenon That Will Repeat

According to the World Health Organization, more than 200,000 people died from heat-related causes in Europe in the last four years, most of them preventable deaths.

A study published in Nature Climate Change revealed:

  • Europe is warming at twice the global average rate since the 1980s
  • Subtropical regions experience 50 additional days per year of strong thermal stress compared to 1970
  • Exposure to extreme thermal stress rose from 16% to 22% of the global population: about 1 billion more people
  • One in four heatwaves between 2000 and 2019 would have been impossible without climate change

⚠️ Emergency Measures Implemented

France:

  • Alcohol ban in public during the Fête de la Musique
  • Closure of over 800 schools
  • Valérie Pécresse requested postponing non-essential travel in Île-de-France

Rest of Europe:

  • Belgium: trains cancelled during peak hours
  • Italy: maximum alert in 15 cities
  • UK: unusual red alert for June

Sources: Infobae, Météo France, AEMET, Met Office, World Health Organization, Copernicus Climate Change Service.

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Alfredo's Column Alfredo S. Quiroga

Alfredo S. Quiroga