London’s third airport closes for a few hours due to “runway damage” as European Commission warns half of EU is “at risk” of drought
Western Europe is bracing for “a heat apocalypse” these days, with record temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees in southwestern France and 40 degrees in the UK for the first time. The authorities of both countries issued a red warning on Monday, while Belgium and the Netherlands issued an orange warning because of the rise in mercury and Portugal, like the Gallic territory, fought against the advance of the fires.
The worst-case scenario of the heat wave is seen near Bordeaux, where the two major fires that are still active have resulted in the evacuation of a further 10,000 people, pushing the number of people who have had to leave their homes in the south-west on 27,000 come from France. .
François Gourand, meteorologist for Météo France, defines the scenario hitting Western Europe as “an apocalypse of heat”, while newspapers such as Britain’s ‘The Sun’ headlined: “Hotter than the Sahara”. Not surprisingly, UK authorities have had to activate the highest alert level 4, given the prediction that this Tuesday will be the hottest day of all time. The expected maximum temperatures of 40 degrees have forced schools to close.
In Portugal, some 800 firefighters continue to work to extinguish four active fires in the center and north of the Portuguese country, which broke its temperature record for July with 47 degrees on Thursday.
The European Commission, which attributes the phenomenon to climate change, has reported that nearly half of the EU is “at risk” of drought. According to the Community Executive, the prolonged lack of rain will lead to a decline in grain production in countries such as France, Romania, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
However, aside from the heat, the high temperatures are seriously affecting key infrastructure in several countries. For example, Luton airport, the third largest in London, has had to close air traffic for several hours because the heat has caused “damage” to the runway, the airport itself explains in a statement.
“Due to the high temperatures, we have identified a defect in the tracks. Engineers are working and making progress on the repair to restore operations as quickly as possible,” he explained on his social networks.
In Belgium, on the other hand, more than 30 railway lines have remained without service. The heat affects the paths, which cannot withstand expansion and can become undulating. A problem that has occurred on other occasions in Northern European countries, which are not used to high temperatures. In England, without going any further, the train companies have appealed not to travel.
Source: La Verdad
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