Forget Cerberus – these heatwaves will soon be Britain’s new normal

Europe is sweltering in a heatwave, just as the UK did last year. But as we see record temperature after record temperature fall, what does the future hold? Nick Ferris investigates what that means for Earth – and for us

People watch a forest burning on La Palma in the Canary Islands on Saturday (Europa Pres/AP)

Europe braces for temperatures touching 49C. Fires rage in the forests of Spain. More than a dozen cities across Italy are put on red heat alert. The Acropolis is closed to tourists as holidaymakers buckle in the midday sun.

The current Cerberus heatwave in Southern Europe, we have been told, could well lead to “potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe”, while we have also been told that the first week of July was the hottest week ever recorded worldwide.

This year has also seen the hottest June on record in the UK, with an average temperature of 15.8C during the month. And, just last year, the temperature in the UK crossed 40C for the first time ever.