Satellite images show Europe scorching in record-breaking heatwave as temp crosses 40°C

Multiple countries in Europe including those in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are facing the wrath of climate change as a record-breaking heatwave struck starting June this year. Countries including France, Spain and Portugal in Western Europe are witnessing temperatures ell over 40°C and many have been forced to flee their homes owing to the wildfires. Earlier today, the European Space Agency (ESA) released pictures of the blistering heat being witnessed in France, Spain and countries in northern Africa.

The image above has been produced using the data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite mission’s radiometer instrument and shows the surface temperature up to July 17. The picture also features a scale ranging from 15°C to 55°C and depicts regions near the Mediterranean Sea including Spanish cities Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Barcelona scorching in the heat.   

ESA also shared animations featuring the wildfires in two separate regions of France. The animation was made from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission data and comprise images acquired on 12 July before the fires broke out and those acquired on 17 July when the fires were active. Notably, western Europe was already facing severe drought and the wildfires including those in Portugal's town of Leiria that destroyed more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres).

(Wildfires in Gironde, France; Image: ESA)

(Wildfires in southwest France; Image; ESA)

Heatwave in eastern hemisphere

Recently, NASA also shared a map of the eastern hemisphere, where the heatwave broke long-standing temperatures in many countries. According to the agency, the map below was produced by combining observations with a version of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) global model and shows the surface air temperatures on July 13.

(Map of global surface temperature; Image: NASA)

"While there is a clear pattern of an ‘atmospheric wave’ with alternating warm (redder) and cool (bluer) values in different locations, this large area of extreme (and record-breaking) heat is another clear indicator that emissions of greenhouse gases by human activity are causing weather extremes that impact our living conditions", Steven Pawson, chief of NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office said in a statement.

Earlier, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that change-driven heatwaves are becoming more frequent, and warned that the trend in Europe would continue until at least the 2060s.