Europe Heat Wave: Tourist Death and Wildfires Spark Travel Warnings

It’s too early to say how much extreme heat will disrupt early summer travel in the region, but the season has kicked off with a stark reminder: It is now part of the holiday landscape in southern Europe.

Authorities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Austria have issued heat-related travel advisories for popular tourist destinations in southern Europe.

A dangerous heat wave is sweeping across many Mediterranean countries, with some areas already experiencing temperatures of 42°C (107.6°F). In Majorca, a tourist has died, and wildfires have prompted evacuations in France.

The extreme heat is the latest example of how Europe, the fastest-warming continent, is experiencing the intensifying effects of the climate crisis. While it is difficult to directly attribute individual extreme weather events to climate change, heat waves are becoming more frequent and more intense as the planet warms.

Scientists at World