By Euronews with Agencies
From torrential rain and subsequent flooding in Norway and Croatia, to scorching temperatures in Spain and Portugal, we take a look at this week’s weather across Europe.
This week has seen Europe gripped by various extreme weather events. In Norway, some 4,000 people were evacuated from the areas hit by storm “Hans”, which caused significant flooding and damage.
ADVERTISEMENT“I just got a message that we are being evacuated immediately. And that applies to all houses and buildings, I think, that are closest to the river,” explained resident Marte Jørsted. “We are on a small peak, so they are afraid that there could be a risk of landslides.”
Helicopters were called in to rescue inhabitants of remote areas, and a “red flood warning” was declared in the south of the country.
Days of heavy rain caused rivers to overflood and a dam to partially burst, triggering landslides and flooding in the mountainous region and forcing downstream communities to evacuate.
Croatia: Drava reaches historic highs
In Croatia, the river Drava reached record-high levels of 704 centimetres. About 50 holiday homes along the river on the other side of the embankment were flooded.
Recent torrential rain had prompted authorities to declare a ‘state of emergency ‘in parts of the country.
Local authorities now say the situation is under control and sandbags are being installed to prevent seepage.
“I think that flood defence has been established in all critical places, the situation should be closely monitored for the next two or three days, but we hope that there will be no major problems”, said Tomislav Novosel from the Croatian Waters Flood Defence Centre.
Spain: Third heatwave of the summer
Meanwhile, Spain is suffering through its third major heat wave of the summer, as temperatures climbed to a scorching 46º Celsius in the eastern city of Valencia.
The local government opened a special shelter for homeless people to escape the sun and access food, fresh water and a shower.
The city centre was emptier than usual, as many people escaped to the Valencian beaches or countryside.
“At night we use the air conditioning and a fan,” says Roberto Gimenez, a local resident. “During the day we try to leave the house as late as we can if we don’t have work to do, and go to the beach” he adds.
ADVERTISEMENTSpain’s meteorological agency this week warned that the average temperature across the country could hit a seven-decade record.
“This will probably be the hottest five August days in 73 years,” said AEMET, the state meteorological agency, with almost the whole country under red weather alerts.
Portugal: People flee to escape forest fires
Huge forest fires continued to rage across southern Portugal. Winds and extreme heat drove fires that have devastated 15,000 hectares of trees.
The biggest blazes were seen in the southern Odemira region, where thousands of people were evacuated with the fires reaching the Algarve, a hugely popular tourist destination.
Experts say the recurring heat waves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common.