Europe Heatwave

A violent hailstorm swept across Spain's Tarragona province on Monday afternoon, killing hundreds of pigeons at the Port de Tarragona and dumping 77.4 litres of rain per square metre in 24 hours.

The storm forced the cancellation of the third stage of the Vuelta a España just 15 kilometres from the finish line. Emergency services were overwhelmed: firefighters received 162 alerts in a single hour between 18:30 and 19:30, while the 112 emergency hotline logged 373 storm-related calls by 19:00. Catalonia, Aragón and the Balearic Islands were among three regions placed on orange alert.

The severe weather extended into France, where up to 20 departments were under orange storm vigilance. A tornado near Carcassonne injured several people and damaged about 100 homes in the village of Pomas.

At least 35,000 excess deaths have been recorded across Europe during four record-breaking heatwaves this summer, according to incomplete figures covering barely half the continent, updating earlier provisional estimates that put the toll above 30,000.

The revised tally emerged after provisional data had already signalled the continent's deadliest summer in years. Experts expect the final toll to rise significantly once August figures are consolidated across all reporting nations.

Germany, France and Spain alone account for more than 25,000 excess deaths in provisional national data. The Robert Koch Institute estimated 14,000 heat-related deaths in Germany between 6 April and 9 August, including 9,600 in a single week in late June. Spain's Carlos III Health Institute attributed 4,947 deaths to heat between May and late August, surpassing the country's previous worst year of 2022. France reported 7,300 excess deaths between late May and 22 July.

A powerful tornado struck the village of Pomas in southern France's Aude department on Monday evening, injuring 26 people and damaging roughly 100 homes. Five of the injured were hospitalised, and rescuers searched for two people believed trapped beneath collapsed structures.

The tornado, spawned by a supercell thunderstorm, produced wind gusts of up to 117 km/h and hailstones as large as 5 cm. Around 2,800 households were left without electricity, and more than 100 firefighters were deployed to the scene. The prefecture opened emergency shelters for displaced residents.

The wider storm system disrupted flights at several major airports and blew the roof off an Amazon warehouse in Bouches-du-Rhône, forcing the evacuation of 140 workers. The third stage of the Vuelta a España was cancelled due to severe hail.

Severe thunderstorms raked Catalonia again on Monday, prompting the region's meteorological service to extend danger warnings for heavy rain to 25 counties and authorities to keep the Inuncat flood plan on alert. High-danger warnings were issued for six Pyrenean counties in Lleida, with hailstones exceeding five centimetres possible, while moderate alerts stretched across central Catalonia and the Ebro basin. Forecasts warned of more than 40 litres per square metre in 30 minutes in parts of western Lleida by afternoon.

Firefighters fielded 129 storm-related calls in just 90 minutes, most in Tarragona province, as downpours flooded avenues in the city of Tarragona. The emergency 112 line logged 373 calls by evening, with 70% concentrated in the Tarragonès county. Regional president Salvador Illa said the storms remained very intense and were advancing northward, with a powerful cell entering the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The renewed weather follows Saturday's unprecedented rainfall on the Costa Daurada that left 11 injured, after which Justice Minister Ramon Espadaler acknowledged precipitation had exceeded forecasts but defended the government's预警 decisions.

Global sea surface temperatures reached an unprecedented 21.1°C on Aug. 22, surpassing the previous record of 21.09°C set in March 2024, according to new data. The spike is unusual because ocean temperatures typically peak in March and April, not August. Scientists attribute the anomaly to a combination of climate change and a developing strong El Niño, with studies suggesting oceans may not have been this warm for as much as 125,000 years.

Waters around the Iberian Peninsula are heating 67% faster than the global average, rising at 0.25°C per decade, according to Greenpeace. The Mediterranean exceeded 33°C for the first time, while the Cantabrian Sea broke 28°C for the first time since 1990. Twelve monitoring buoys recorded historic heat records this summer.

Marine heat waves worldwide have more than tripled since the early 1990s, threatening marine ecosystems and contributing to higher sea levels.

Powerful thunderstorms swept through southwestern France overnight, causing widespread damage in the Landes department and leaving 7,500 households without electricity by early Monday. Emergency services carried out more than 170 interventions across roughly 20 municipalities, responding to forest fires, flooding, and roads blocked by fallen trees. Two people sustained minor injuries.

The town of Peyrehorade was among the hardest hit, prompting authorities to open an emergency shelter for about 30 residents. Rail traffic between Dax and Hendaye was suspended, and the A641 motorway near Peyrehorade was closed in both directions.

Météo-France placed 18 southern departments on orange alert for Monday afternoon, warning of wind gusts up to 120 km/h, hail, and intense electrical activity. The agency said the storm system was expected to move eastward toward Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence overnight.

An unusual late-August Atlantic low-pressure system is bearing down on Spain's northwest, bringing heavy, persistent rain and wind gusts exceeding 70 km/h to the Iberian Peninsula on Monday, after the State Meteorological Agency warned last week of an abrupt end to the summer heat wave.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center monitored the system for potential subtropical development as it approached Galicia. The northwestern half of the Peninsula faces the heaviest downpours, while Catalonia and the Balearic Islands brace for severe thunderstorms with large hail, damaging gusts and possible tornadoes. Torrential rain in Tarragona already left 11 people injured and disrupted road and rail traffic, with more than 145 mm recorded in some areas.

Across Europe, wildfires continued to burn. The European Union deployed helicopters and firefighters to Serbia to battle a blaze that has scorched over 1,600 hectares in the Deliblatska Pescara reserve. In Spain, a lightning-sparked fire near Segorbe burned 630 hectares, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents from Gatova. Storms in Poland have triggered over 6,500 emergency responses since Friday.

France has recorded 301 drownings since 19 June, marking a 14% increase compared with the same period in 2025, Minister Marina Ferrari announced Sunday. The toll has more than doubled since 15 July, when officials reported 142 fatalities.

The surge coincides with the hottest start to summer on record in western Europe. Temperatures exceeding 40°C have affected 30 million people in France since mid-June, and three-quarters of drownings occurred during three heatwaves that struck in late May, late June and early July. Authorities have also linked extreme heat to more than 7,300 excess deaths between mid-June and 22 July.

Most fatal drownings took place in unsupervised and unauthorised swimming areas, including private pools, open water and canals. 87% of those who died were adults.