A brutal heat wave this week broiling Europe spilled northward to Britain and fueled ferocious wildfires in Spain and France.

Iran PressEurope: Portugal reported over 1000 deaths related to extreme weather.

Passengers on a train that was stopped in the Galicia region of Spain were alarmed to see wildfires out their windows on both sides of the car. Some beaches in France and Spain were closed as the fires encroached.

Central Europe is bracing for more temperatures above 37ºC.

Travelers to the continent can tack on climate disasters to a list of obstacles this year, including evolving coronavirus, canceled flights, lost luggage, insane ticket prices, huge crowds, and – yes – labor strikes.

The United Nations panel of experts that evaluates climate change (IPCC) warned in its latest report: "The Mediterranean was going to become ground zero for this phenomenon, and Europe was going to suffer the consequences of the climate tending to the extreme than other regions."

The tests have not been long in coming, and heat waves are punishing the entire continent this summer. But it will not be the last. In case any citizen is left in doubt as to whether exceeding 40 degrees for so many days is an exceptional circumstance in 2022, the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas, has made some statements that leave little room for unknowns: "The heat waves that hit Europe this summer will be the new normal," he said. "They will occur more frequently due to climate change. The connection has been clearly demonstrated by the IPCC."

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