Climate Threat

Extreme Weather in Europe
Fires Continue to Burn in Spain – Military Called Out

Forest fires continue to burn in the northwest and west of Spain. Heatwave warnings have been issued for three weeks in a row in the country.

Around 5,500 soldiers from an army rescue unit have been deployed to help contain the fires, AFP reports. France and Italy have sent water bombers to an air base near the western city of Salamanca to help with the firefighting.

Temperatures exceeded 44 degrees in several places in the country on Saturday, according to Spain's national weather agency Aemet, writes the BBC. They warn of a very high risk of fires in "practically the entire country".

The train line between Madrid and Galicia and about a dozen roads are closed. 

Hurricane Season
“Life-Threatening” Hurricane Approaches Caribbean and US

Hurricane Erin, which is expected to hit the Caribbean this weekend and early next week, has been upgraded to a “catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, according to several media outlets.

The hurricane is expected to pass just north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend, posing a risk of flooding and landslides on the islands. Erin will then move towards the US, but is not expected to make landfall. However, Mike Brennan of the NHC says that the hurricane could lead to “life-threatening waves and currents” along the entire US east coast and in Bermuda.

Erin is the first hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricanes reaching the higher categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale are becoming more common as global warming continues.

Erin Strengthens Quickly – Linked to Climate Change

Hurricane Erin, which is expected to reach the Caribbean over the weekend and early next week, has strengthened from Category 1 to the highest and most devastating level, Category 5, in a short time, reports the AP.

Scientists the news agency has been in contact with link the rapid intensification to climate change, as warmer oceans and a more humid atmosphere mean that hurricanes can grow faster and become more powerful.

For a hurricane to reach the highest category this early in the year is very unusual, says expert Michael Lowry. Throughout history, only five hurricanes have reached the highest level at this time of year, but Lowry believes that this will become more common.