A heat wave is sweeping the UK and several European countries, sending temperatures soaring past 40 degrees in some cities. In the UK extreme heat has closed schools, halted train services, melted airport runways and even forced some hospitals to cancel operations because operating theaters were too hot. Temperatures are also rising across Europe, sparking forest fires and leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths in France, Portugal and Italy. Prolonged droughts exacerbate wildfires and make them even more difficult to contain. Although the heat wave is unprecedented for Britain, a country with usually temperate weather, scientists warn that extreme heat could become the norm in more cities around the world as a result of climate change.

How is the heat wave affecting the UK?

On Friday, the UK’s official weather service, the Met Office, issued the first red warning for extreme heat. The most severe alert level warns of “dangerous weather expected” and is likely to bring “danger to life”. The Met Office recorded a provisional reading of 40.2 degrees at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, breaking Britain’s record for the hottest temperature ever recorded. Previously, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 38.7 on July 25, 2019, in Cambridge. The heatwave has disrupted services across England. Schools were closed and train services canceled Monday after operators warned the heat could cause rails to bend or buckle. Some flights were suspended at London Luton Airport so engineers could repair the runway “after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift”. London has also experienced an explosion of fires due to the heat. The London Fire Brigade recorded 10 major fires across the city on Tuesday and urged people to stop barbecuing. Many homes, schools and small businesses do not have air conditioning in Britain, a sign of how unusual these high temperatures are for the country. Studies have shown that “the chance of extremely hot days in the UK has increased and will continue to increase over the course of the century,” said Nikos Christidis, a climatologist at the Met Office. He added that “the chances of seeing 40C days in the UK could be up to 10 times more likely in the current climate than in a natural climate unaffected by human influence”.

How is the heat wave affecting other parts of Europe?

Temperatures across Europe are soaring, with extreme heat plaguing France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe. In Luza, Portugal, the thermometer topped 46 last week, while heat warnings have been posted across France and Spain as temperatures hovered in the 40s for days. In Amsterdam, temperatures were expected to reach 39 degrees on Tuesday as municipal workers sprayed water on some of the city’s metal bridges to prevent them from expanding. A deadly combination of drought conditions and extreme heat is fueling wildfires in many European countries. At least two people have been killed in fires in Spain. in southwestern France, thousands of people had to be evacuated from their homes due to forest fires. One of the blazes, in a wooded area south of Bordeaux, is suspected to have been started deliberately and a man has been taken into custody for questioning. The World Meteorological Organization said the heat wave in Europe is expected to peak on Tuesday, but temperatures may remain high into next week. Fire weather index for Europe on 19 July FWI is a meteorologically based index used worldwide to assess fire risk. It consists of different components that account for the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behavior and spread. MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: EUROPEAN FOREST FIRE INFORMATION SYSTEM Fire weather index for Europe on 19 July FWI is a meteorologically based index used worldwide to assess fire risk. It consists of different components that account for the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behavior and spread. MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: EUROPEAN FOREST FIRE INFORMATION SYSTEM Fire weather index for Europe on 19 July FWI is a meteorologically based index used worldwide to assess fire risk. It consists of different components that account for the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behavior and spread. MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: EUROPEAN FOREST FIRE INFORMATION SYSTEM

How many deaths are linked to the heat wave in Europe so far?

In Portugal and Spain, nearly 750 heat-related deaths have been reported during the heatwave. And at least six people were reported to have drowned across the UK in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off, according to the Associated Press. WMO officials also warned that they expect more deaths among the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.

How does climate change affect heat waves?

Climate scientists warn that heat waves are becoming more intense, more frequent and longer as a result of human-induced climate change. “Every heat wave we experience today has become hotter and more frequent because of human-induced climate change,” said Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London. “We know this now after decades and centuries of climate research.” In a recent report by the Intact Center on Climate Change at the University of Waterloo, experts called on the Canadian government to consider extreme heat as a natural disaster, as it has proven to be deadlier and more frequent in Canada than other threats such as earthquakes, floods. and fires. With files from Paul Waldie, Associated Press

Fire engines burn during a fire at Mont d’Arrees, outside Brasparts, western France. LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images 1 of 24 A firefighter sprays water on Mount Penteli, about 25 kilometers northeast of Athens. THANASSIS STAVRAKIS/The Associated Press 2 of 24 A firefighter works to extinguish a forest fire during a heatwave near Thiendorf, north of Dresden, Germany.MATTHIAS RIETSCHEL/Reuters 3 out of 24 A mother protects her baby from the sun with an umbrella on Westminster Bridge in London. Frank Augstein/The Associated Press 4 out of 24 Empty sunbeds are pictured on dry grass in Hyde Park in west London.NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP/Getty Images 5 out of 24 Firefighters attend a fire during a heatwave near Zennor, Cornwall, Britain.TOM NICHOLSON/Reuters 6 out of 24 A man swims in the River Derwent in the grounds of Chatsworth House during the heatwave, Derbyshire, Britain.CARL RECINE/Reuters 7 out of 24 People cool off in the River Derwent in the grounds of Chatsworth House during the heat wave, Derbyshire, Britain.CARL RECINE/Reuters 8 out of 24 People cool off during the hot weather on Brighton beach in Britain. PETER CZIBORRA/Reuters 9 out of 24 Tourists sit in the shade of umbrellas, under jets of water vapor, at an open-air restaurant on a street in central Rome. ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images 10 out of 24 A plane tackles a fire during the second heat wave of the year in the Tabara region of Spain.ISABEL INFANTES/Reuters 11 of 24 A girl refills her water bottle from the “Fontana della Barcaccia” fountain during a severe heat wave sweeping Europe, in Piazza di Spagna in central Rome.ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images 12 out of 24 A zookeeper cools down elephants during a hot day at Berlin Zoo, Germany. FABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters 13 of 24 Signs banning barbecues are seen in Dovedale during the heatwave, Derbyshire, Britain.CARL RECINE/Reuters 14 of 24 Women protect themselves from the sun with umbrellas during a heatwave in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. FABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters 15 of 24 A burning tree is seen in the La Teste-de-Buch forest destroyed by a large fire near Dune du Pilat as fires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France. PASCAL ROSSIGNOL/Reuters 16 of 24 A boy refreshes himself in a fountain during the heat wave as a heat wave hits Europe, in Brussels, Belgium.YVES HERMAN/Reuters 17 of 24 People row on the River Spree and pass the Badeschiff, bathing ship, swimming pool in Berlin, Germany. Markus Schreiber/The Associated Press 18 of 24 People sit on the sunny grass in Greenwich Park with the Naval Museum and Canary Wharf financial district in the background in London. Tony Hicks/The Associated Press 19 of 24 A sign warning train passengers about the high temperatures and their impact on rail traffic is pictured at Euston railway station in central London.NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP/Getty Images 20 out of 24 A swimmer in the water at Canary Wharf docks in east London.Victoria Jones/The Associated Press 21 of 24 Rachel De Smedt, 89, Jeanne De Coninck, 90, Marie-Louise Buggenhout, 90, Mariette Van Dam, 90, Lisette Donies, 88 and Irma Van Buggenhout, 93, residents at Ter Biest nursing home renew their feet in a pool as a heat wave hits Europe, in Grimbergen, Belgium.YVES HERMAN/Reuters 22 of 24 A field of sunflowers near Selm, western Germany, during a heatwave.INA FASSBENDER/AFP/Getty Images 23 of 24 A pharmacy displays the temperature, 45 degrees Celsius in Lille, northern France, as Europe experiences an unusually extreme heat wave. Michel Spingler/The Associated Press 24 of 24

Further reading:

What are the health risks of extreme heat? 1 of 24 2 of 24 3 out of 24 4 out of 24 5 out of 24 6 out of 24 7 out of 24 8 out of 24 9 out of 24 10 out of 24 11 of 24 12 out of 24 13 of 24 14 of 24 15 of 24 16 of 24 17 of 24 18 of 24 19 of 24 20 out of 24 21 of 24 22 of 24 23 of 24 24 of 24 How does the human body react to rising temperatures? This one-of-a-kind lab in Ottawa is trying to find out In Canada’s biggest cities, vulnerability to rising temperatures could…