Most of Europe Poised for Cooler Temperatures Next Week

Temperatures across the continent will dip below normal from this weekend, ending weeks of heat that stifled mainly southern Europe.

(Bloomberg) — Temperatures across the continent will dip below normal from this weekend, ending weeks of heat that stifled mainly southern Europe. 

The mercury will drop considerably in Germany, Spain, Italy and beyond, Maxar Technologies Inc. said in a daily report. Madrid is poised to be 3.9C (7F) below average on Monday, compared with as much as 6.7C hotter than normal currently. 

“A cold front moves through northwest Europe later this week and ushers in widespread below normal anomalies from Germany and into France, Iberia and the southern UK,” Maxar said. Wetter conditions are also forecast for most of the continent next week, while the heat wave will gradually move to the southeast, the forecaster said. 

The shift to normal temperatures or below will be welcome news after extreme heat, violent storms, flooding and wildfires rattled the region this summer. Global warming is increasing the intensity of such events as the world’s hottest ever month was recorded in July.

For now, red heat alerts remain in place for parts of Iberia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France, with the latter also warning of potential output curbs at several nuclear plants this weekend due to cooling water restrictions. 

Wildfires continue to rage in Greece as intense heat and strong winds hamper efforts by fire fighters. A blaze near Athens is still burning and is expected to spread further on Wednesday. Temperatures in the nation are set to remain above seasonal norms through early next month, according to weather data compiled by Bloomberg. 

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