Spain braces for record temperatures, with nearly the whole country on 'red weather alert' as Europe...
Holidaymakers are bracing for record temperatures in , with forecasters predicting highs of up to 44C in parts of the Iberian Peninsula as the region boils under its third heatwave of the summer. Spain's weather service has warned that the average temperature nationwide could hit a 70-year high, with almost the whole country under red weather alerts. The landlocked capital, Madrid, is sweltering with 38C highs, with temperatures in their 30s expected all week, while parts of the south of the country are seeing the mercury rise over 40C. The scorching heat combined with windy conditions has also seen wildfires grip Portugal in recent days, with firefighters continuing to battle blazes in Odemira just north of the popular Algarve region. Elsewhere across the Med, popular tourist destinations including Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and Italy all seeing highs in the region of 30C. Experts say the recurring heatwaves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change. The current heat gripping Spain has resulted in 'extreme risk' alerts being put in place in several areas, including the Guadalquivir valley, the Serrania de Cuenca, La Mancha and Madrid. 'This will probably be the hottest five August days in 73 years,' said AEMET, the state meteorological agency. Spain is continuing to suffer the effects of a lengthy drought, while winds and extreme heat are also driving fires that have devastated 15,000 hectares of trees in neighbouring Portugal over the past few days. The biggest blazes are in the region of Odemira, where more than 1,500 people have been evacuated with the fires reaching the Algarve, a hugely popular tourist destination. But firefighters tackling the wildfires said they were bringing them under control Wednesday, with a fall in temperatures and greater humidity at the coast helping stem the spread as hot air moves east. The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common. Spanish firefighters were using up to a dozen water bombers to slow the spread of the flames around Valencia de Alcantara in Extremadura close to the border with Portugal. 'We evacuated our clients to a hotel in Alcantara,' said Joaquin Dieguez, the owner of a holiday cottage. 'But we are really worried because we have an enormous forest here with century-old oak trees. It's awful,' he added. First estimations suggest that 350 hectares of trees have gone up in smoke. The blaze comes after 573 hectares were destroyed in wildfires in Portbou in Catalonia in the northeast, with 450 acres of trees lost by another fire near Bonares in Andalusia in the south. Tourists in Madrid have been pictured frantically fanning themselves and seeking shade as they look around tourist sites. Meanwhile, Italy is seeing high temperatures of up to 29C in Sicily in the south - which was ravaged by wildfires in recent weeks - and Florence in the north. Greece, parts of which have also been scorched by fires, is similarly seeing highs of around 29C in some areas. Eastern parts of Turkey are seeing temperatures climb to as much as 41C, while the tourist hotspot on Antalya is enjoying a more bearable peak of 31C. Tourists and tour operators are expected to head to northern Europe in the future after a summer of crippling heatwaves hit southern Europe and left travelers wondering if cooler temperatures might suit them better. The Mediterranean region has remained Europe's most popular summer tourist spot, but bookings to countries like Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are on the rise compared to 2022, according to Mastercard data. Factors such as cheaper airfares and weaker currencies in Scandinavia could play a role, but one of the world's biggest tour operators TUI said on Wednesday that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. The firm could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in the fall, TUI's Chief Executive Sebastian Ebel told reporters. It could also offer more holidays to the Nordics, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium, he said. 'We will go into Greece to middle of November and I actually asked my colleagues, maybe we should open it until the end of the year, until or after Christmas,' Ebel told a media call. 'It gives us more opportunities for growth,' he said. Ebel was speaking after TUI announced it could face 25 million euros ($27 million) in costs tied to wildfires in Rhodes, Greece. Tour operators in places like northern Norway also see an increased demand. The regional tourist information for Vesteraalen, an island district in Northern Norway, said it had guests from central and southern Europe who came to Norway to escape the heatwave. This had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created, it said. Fabio Scaglione and Diego Bruno visited Stockholm from Turin in Italy last week with around 20 others in a trip organized by an Italian travel agency. 'Last year we went to the South of Spain and it was very hot, this year we decided to go to a cooler place,' Bruno said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. The hot weather has prevented her going south for the past five years, she said. 'Previously we'd been to France, Italy, your normal summer destinations and we were getting to the point where I was actually feeling ill,' she said. 'Even Germany and Switzerland are too far south - that was last year's attempt and it was still far too hot.'