A record-setting heat wave throughout Europe has caused the death of over 1,700 people in Spain and Portugal, according to Axios and BNO News as of Tuesday.
The high temperatures have even melted parts of runways and tarmacs at airports in the United Kingdom, according to inews.co.uk.
There was a reported 659 deaths in Portugal last week, and at least 358 deaths in Spain, according to the Directorate-General for Health, per AccuWeather.
Temperatures were more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in Portugal and Spain, and even topped out at 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 degrees Celsius) at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport on July 14 -- a record for the month of July in Spain.
The heat hit 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius) in Pinhão, Portugal, breaking the previous record high temperature for July of 115.7 degrees Fahrenheit (46.5 degrees Celsius) set in 1995, according to Portugal's meteorological agency, Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera.
"There is concern that this heat could become a long-duration heat wave (20 or more days) for many locations from Portugal to central France and interior southeast Europe as it could last for the rest of July and continue into August," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
Roys added that this includes the valleys of Hungary, eastern Croatia, eastern Bosnia, Serbia, southern Romania and northern Bulgaria.
"July all-time records are at risk of being approached, tied or even broken across Ireland and the United Kingdom," Roys said. "This includes individual cities such as Birmingham, Dublin, Manchester and York."
The London Luton Airport had to temporarily suspend flights on Monday due to runway repairs caused by the heat, while the runway at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire reportedly "melted."
A spokesman for the London Luton Airport told inews.co.uk that surface temperatures "caused a small section [of the tarmac] to lift." Despite the heat reaching around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), the spokesman said the airport was prepared to operate on Tuesday.
Related
Related
