France shuts schools, Italy limits work outdoors in European heatwave

2/7/2025 7:08

Italy limited work outdoors, France shut schools and Turkey battled wildfires on Tuesday in a European heatwave that meteorologists said was "exceptional" for striking so early this year.



Spain confirmed its hottest June on record, while temperatures passed 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) in some of its cities on Tuesday. Likewise, heat scaled to reach 40 degrees in the Italian city of Trento, while northern European cities such as London were also sweltering.



Europe is heating up at twice the global average speed and is the world's fastest-warming continent, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service has said.



"What is exceptional ... but not unprecedented is the time of year," said World Meteorological Organization spokesperson Clare Nullis.



Europe was experiencing extreme heat episodes "which normally we would see later on in the summer," she said.