Europe and other regions grapple with unprecedented heatwave

An extreme heatwave is sweeping across Europe and parts of Asia and North America, pushing temperatures above 40 °C in many locations. In Italy, red‑heat alerts cover 19 cities, with Milan launching a hot‑weather assistance hotline and providing meals and shade, while the Po valley faces severe water shortages and forest fires. Greece reports more than 70 wildfires, prompting the deployment of hundreds of firefighters and aerial units near Athens and Boeotia. France continues to battle large forest fires near Bordeaux, and Hungary’s Danube has fallen to a record low, forcing the Paks nuclear power plant to shut down a reactor for the first time in 44 years due to insufficient cooling water. Germany’s Rhine river also reaches historic lows, curtailing barge traffic and raising logistics costs. In the United States, a “heat dome” drives temperatures above 45 °C in Nevada, Arizona and California, heightening wildfire risk. South Korea records its hottest day since modern records began, activating a level‑2 disaster response. Health ministries across the affected nations issue high‑level warnings as night‑time temperatures remain dangerously warm.