Europe Braces For Record Heat As Millions Face Extreme Temperatures

Millions across Europe are suffering through another brutal wave of extreme heat as temperatures continue to climb. The UK just marked its hottest day of the year. In west London, the mercury hit 38.1 degrees Celsius. That number beats the previous high from June which sat at 38C.

France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom are all bracing for this intense weather event. Weather agencies reported readings above 35C in several nations on Thursday alone. More than 135 million people faced these scorching conditions across the continent. Europe remains the planet's fastest-warming region. In many places, infrastructure is simply not built to handle such heat.

A string of heatwaves and droughts has already fueled a summer full of wildfires. These disasters have been linked to thousands of deaths so far this year. Scientists point directly to human activity driving climate change as the cause for these ever hotter and more frequent events. The risk to communities is severe and growing by the day.

In Britain, nurses are collapsing from heat exhaustion while working in hospitals that lack proper cooling. The Royal College of Nursing issued a warning on Thursday about the dangerous conditions inside medical facilities. Pharmacist Bailey Williamson told AFP that the heat has been unbearable inside these buildings. Patients in hospital beds are suffering terribly because they cannot breathe properly due to the stifling air.

Hospitals have seen a spike in heatstroke cases and the NHS is struggling to keep up with demand. Williamson described the situation as scary and said it signals just how bad climate change has become. He noted that people lying in beds are really sick from the lack of ventilation.

France Meteo recorded 38C in Paris on Thursday. Much of the country sits under a heatwave alert now. Similar high temperatures threaten 29 million Italians, especially those living along the west coast or in the Po Valley region. The islands and the heel of Italy's boot shape are also at risk. Large parts of the Iberian Peninsula faced similar dangers as well. Around 25 million people in Spain were forecast to endure this heat. Aemet recorded temperatures up to 37C in the center of the nation on Thursday.