Paris/Madrid, July 5 (SANA)A third heatwave is sweeping acrossFrance,Spainand other parts ofEurope, with temperatures expected to reach 40°C in some French regions and up to 44°C in Spain, as authorities warn of heightened wildfire risks across theMediterranean, according to national weather agencies cited by AFP and multiple news outlets.

In France, seven southern departments — Ardèche, Aude, Drôme, Gard, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales and Vaucluse — were placed under orange heatwave alert on Sunday, according to Météo-France. Maximum temperatures were expected to range between 35 and 37°C, with peaks of 38 to 40°C in parts of the former Languedoc-Roussillon region. The hot weather is forecast to extend northward on Monday, with the possibility of expanding the orange alert to additional departments.

Météo-France also issued a “very high” fire risk warning for seven southern departments, including Aude, Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Gard, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales and Vaucluse. Strong winds along the Mediterranean coast could raise the fire risk to “very high” levels.

In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued widespread heat warnings Sunday as a second summer heatwave intensifies, with temperatures expected to peak Monday and Tuesday between 42 and 44°C in several regions. Monday will be the most severe day, with temperatures reaching 42°C in river valleys and 37-40°C across the southern plateau, Ebro valley and northeastern depressions, according to AEMET. Tuesday could see temperatures hit 44°C, potentially complicating efforts to contain the “La Bisbal d’Empordà” fire in Catalonia.

Wildfires rage across southern Europe

Hundreds of firefighters are battling forest fires across France, Spain andPortugal, with the latest wildfires already devastating more than 17,000 hectares across the three countries.

Nearly 600 French firefighters were mobilized to contain a wildfire that burned more than 1,000 hectares on a mountainside at Trévillach, about 36 kilometers east of Perpignan. The fire, which started Saturday evening, was brought under control after burning 1,000 hectares by Sunday morning, according to the prefecture. Another 300 firefighters are battling a blaze in the Drôme region that has more than doubled in size overnight.

In Spain, a fire near the northeastern Costa Brava coast has burned more than 2,200 hectares in two days, with firefighters describing Sunday’s operation as “complicated” due to rising temperatures and “smoking hotspots” within the fire’s perimeter. Catalan authorities have detained a man in connection with the fire, which has badly hit the Gavarres protected natural area between Barcelona and the French border.

In Portugal, emergency services said they had controlled “80 percent” of a wildfire that has devastated some 13,000 hectares of forest and scrubland in the north of the country, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements and water-carrying planes after Portugal appealed for help.

The heatwaves have taken a deadly toll across Europe. France’s Public Health agency reported an increase of 2,025 deaths during the week of June 22-28 — a nearly 30% rise compared to the previous week, with deaths rising 62% in the Paris region alone. People aged 65 and older accounted for 85% of confirmed heat-related deaths.

Belgiumrecorded 1,222 excess deaths between June 18 and 29, while Spain’s daily mortality monitoring system attributed 1,029 excess deaths in June to unusually high temperatures. The Netherlands reported around 480 excess deaths, most among older people.

This is the third heatwave in France this year, following a precocious episode in May and a historic heatwave that lasted about two weeks in the second half of June, during which average temperatures reached record levels. Météo-France described the June episode as the most intense heatwave ever recorded in mainland France and Corsica, with the national 24-hour average temperature exceeding 30°C for the first time.

France has recorded approximately 7,000 fires since the start of summer, burning nearly 8,700 hectares, with the worst blazes concentrated in the south. French authorities said the fire season began about two to three weeks earlier than previous years. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez expressed concern that the annual summer wildfire season had started a month early.

The Copernicus climate service has identified Europe as the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said the May and June heatwaves would have been “virtually impossible” withoutclimate change.