Europe sizzles in heatwave as wildfire hits Portugal
MADRID (AFP) - Europe sweltered through an intense heatwave on Sunday, with soaring temperatures contributing to forest fires, the closure of nuclear plants and even a threat to the Netherlands' supply of potato fries, although some countries experienced a slight respite.
A top temperature of 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) was forecast in the southwest region of Extremadura on Sunday, where a wildfire in San Vicente de Alcantara has been brought under control by firefighters, the local fire service said.
The mercury had reached 44 C in the country's south on Saturday, the Spanish Meteorological Agency said.
The rise in temperatures has already claimed the lives of three people who died of heatstroke this week.
The mercury was expected to hit 45 C in some parts of Portugal on Sunday, a day after weather records in several cities were broken on Saturday, the hottest day for 18 years according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA)
A temperature of 46.8 C was recorded north of Lisbon on Saturday, although nowhere reached the nationwide record of 47.3 C registered in the southern village of Amareleja in 2003.
A forest fire continued to rage on two fronts in Monchique in the country's south on Sunday, with 800 firefighters, supported by 12 water-dropping planes and helicopters were working to put it out.
Another forest fire, in central Estremoz, has left six people wounded, two in serious condition.
In France, 67 out of 101 departments were on heatwave alert with temperatures in the south of the country expected to again peak near 40 C.
Saturday was the hottest day in the country since the infamous heatwave of 2003, in which thousands of mainly elderly people died.
Several thunderstorms flooded streets in Sicily and Sardinia in the south of Italy on Sunday, cooling down the heatwave that has caused traffic problems on the country's busiest summer weekend on the roads.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms brought some relief from the heat in parts of Germany this weekend, particularly in the south. However temperatures are expected to climb again to as high as 39 C in the east on Wednesday.