Record heatwave and drought trigger wildfires and energy disruptions across Europe

Western Europe experienced its warmest combined June and July on record, coinciding with global ocean surface temperatures reaching a historic peak of 20.96 degrees Celsius in July. The prolonged dry spell and extreme heat continue to fuel intense wildfires across France, Belgium, and the Balkan region. In southwestern France, a fire in the Landes department has burned more than 1,500 hectares of forest, leading to precautionary evacuations of hundreds of homes.

Critically low water levels in European river basins have also strained energy infrastructure. In Romania, naval personnel conducted a controlled riverbed detonation on the Danube to redirect essential cooling flows toward an active nuclear reactor, following previous shutdowns and capacity reductions in Romania and Hungary. The widespread drop in water levels has also uncovered historic artifacts and prehistoric fossils along exposed riverbeds.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)