Heat Wave in Europe

Introduction

May 2003 was the hottest May on record, June was the third hottest June ever. Europe has seen new temperature highs, while rainfall records have been broken in the US. BBC News Online looks at extreme weather around the world in recent months.

Drought in Europe  

Europe's extreme summer has taken its toll across the continent. River levels have plunged, farmers have watched their fields turn to dustbowls and huge tracts of forest have been burned. Dozens of people have lost their lives. 

Europe has been particularly hard-hit by drought, with large swathes of the continent receiving only half their normal rainfall.

Heavy rainfall

Unusually high levels of rainfall have been reported in parts of the US, Latin America and south-east Asia. Rainfall records have been broken in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

Long-term view

Records for June since 1880 show that global temperatures have increasingly been hotter than average in the last two decades.

Broken records  

Conversion

Europe has been especially hard hit

Europe's extreme summer has taken its toll across the continent. River levels have plunged, farmers have watched their fields turn to dustbowls and huge tracts of forest have been burned. Dozens of people have lost their lives.

Forest fires

Weeks of drought and heat have combined to turn Europe's forests into tinderboxes. Portugal has been worst hit, with 15 people dead and huge areas of forest lost. Virtually no country has been spared. As far north as Sweden and as far east as Russia's remote Khabarovsk region, peat bogs and pine forests have been blazing.

Agriculture

Farmers say it's a catastrophe and are pleading for aid. Soil has turned to dust and water rationing has hit irrigation systems. Estimates say up to 80% of some German crops will be lost. Czech and French grain yields could be down by a third. Even grapes are withering on the vine. Some cattle were being fed on winter hay as early as July.

Water  

Some of Europe's great waterways, including the Rhine and Danube, are shadows of their former selves. Ships' cargo limits have been slashed to avoid them grounding. In Romania, ships lost in World War II have resurfaced. Italy's mighty Po River is down to a trickle in places.

Pollution

Ozone levels have soared as pollution casts a grey cloak over cities. Speed limits were introduced in parts of France, including Paris, to try to cut the ozone. The lack of wind in many parts of Europe has exacerbated the problem, as pollution builds up over cities and is trapped.

Health

Dozens of people have died in the heat. In Spain, where temperatures above 40C have persisted for days, up to 30 deaths are blamed on the heat. In Paris, doctors said 50 died in four days. Many were elderly people with chronic lung and heart disease. People with asthma are also suffering. Fires have killed more than 20 people.

Tourism

Thousands have flocked to coasts and countryside to escape city heat. Hotels and refreshment sellers have enjoyed a bumper year. Coasts, lakes and Europe's shrinking rivers have proved particularly popular as people try to cool off.

Animals

Zoo owners have struggled to keep animals from cold climates comfortable. Some have made fish ice lollies for bears and seals. Even animals from hotter climates have had to be hosed down to stop them feeling the heat. For farm animals, help has not always been so easy. One million French chickens died in a single week.

Power

Power supplies suffered a double whammy of extra demand and lower output. As millions turned on the air-conditioning, lower and warmer rivers cut the cooling potential for power stations. Dutch authorities issued a "red alert" warning of cuts. Italian supplies were cut. France relaxed rules on nuclear power. Some German reactors were turned off.