Paris (CNN)New fires in the Gironde region of southwestern France have destroyed thousands of hectares in just two weeks. Destroyed. According to official data, in the same area he had two major fires that destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest.
"The fires have already destroyed 6,000 hectares of forest and displaced 6,000 people overnight," Nouvel said on Wednesday. said Martin Guesperau. The fire started on Tuesday.
The A63 highway between Bordeaux and Bayonne will be "closed in both directions," the Gironde department said in a press release on Wednesday. "The fire is highly toxic and has spread across the Landes province," he added.
The blaze destroyed 16 of his homes, but no injuries were reported, according to a press release. Authorities said his 500 firefighters, aided by water bombers, had been mobilized to fight the blaze.
"We are about to have a very risky and difficult day. The weather is very bad right now," officials said.
French officials added that he was dealing with at least three fires in southern France.
The affected area is about the size of India and larger than his three major US states (Alaska, Texas and California) combined.
and New satellite images from the EU climate watchdog Copernicus reveal a near-cloudless scene as Western Europe is hit by yet another extreme heat wave. ing.
Mercury is again above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern England and the Netherlands, while France and Spain face severe temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
"This new heat wave is expected to produce strong cloudless conditions over much of Western Europe. associated with high pressure,” said Copernicus.
The current heat wave is his fourth in the region since June.
"According to the National Meteorological Service, temperatures between August 9 and 14 were 44°C (111.2°F) in Spain, 40°C (104°F) in France, 35°C (95 degrees Fahrenheit), 30°C (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern England, and in the Netherlands," said Copernicus.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said:
High temperatures, low rainfall
The temperature extremes Europe is experiencing are due to the sustained accumulation of high pressure and intense sunshine, says Liz. Bentley CEO said. Royal Meteorological Society.
Western Europe in particular "has been struggling since early June," she told CNN Wednesday.
"Combining that with the lack of rainfall means that some parts of Europe now have below average rainfall for 15 to 16 months. Very long periods of dry weather. , rivers and reservoirs have fallen to very low levels.”
Bentley continued. "Recent heatwaves are exacerbating the problem as they cause more water to evaporate from the ground, rivers and reservoirs. Much of Europe is in drought conditions."
Severe conditions and persistently sweltering temperatures have led to wildfires, which Bentley says are "not all that uncommon" in Europe. However, she said, "The season has started very early and is much more persistent and widespread than we normally see.
She said the effects of extreme heat and drought but is already being seen, for example, in agriculture and farming communities, he added.
"This only means that crop yields are significantly reduced during the summer, resulting in It will affect food prices not only in Europe but around the world, and will only exacerbate the overall food price problem against the backdrop of the problems in Ukraine caused by the Russian aggression."
Bentley said the latest forecasts from the UK's Center for Ecology and Hydrology suggested the situation was unlikely to change anytime soon. Analysis of forecasts suggests that temperatures will remain above average in the coming months, exacerbated by below-average precipitation
