Spain, Portugal await fresh heatwave. Japan sees hottest July

BARCELONA/TOKYO: Spain and Portugal on Sunday braced for a fresh heatwave set to sweep the Iberian peninsula, with Lisbon warning of a very high risk of wildfires, as climate change remains visible across the world.

The two countries on Iberian Peninsula have already went through multiple heatwaves this year, with records broken.

Read more: Child dies as heat records broken in Spain and Portugal

Earlier, it was reported that Japan in Asia sweltered through its hottest July since records began in 1898, the weather agency said, warning of further “severe heat” in the month ahead.

Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent the world over because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception.

And the effects on human are massive and threatening their lives, producing long-term economic, social and political consequences.

Read more: Climate change batters agriculture. Hungary is an example

WHAT’S IN STORE

Temperatures are forecast to be between 5C to 10C above seasonal norms, with Spain’s Aemet weather agency warning it was “likely that the heatwave lasts long and persists till at least next Sunday”.

Parts of Extremadura in western Spain and Andalucia in the south faced potential temperatures of up to 42C, while Portugal extended a wildfire alert till Thursday as firefighters battled a spate of blazes.

Spanish firefighters meanwhile were working to control a fire which had already ravaged around 570 hectares (1,400 acres) near the northwestern town of Vilardevos.

Fires have burnt more than 25,700 hectares of Portugal since the beginning of 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

Read more: Greece heatwave drags out as temperatures near 46C

Scientists have long warned that climate change driven by humanity’s burning of fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more likely and more intense.

SHORTENED RAINY SEASON

The average temperature in July was up a record 2.89C from the 1991-2020 average for the month, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Friday.

It was the third year in a row of record-breaking average temperatures for July, it said.

On July 30, Japan experienced its highest recorded temperature, a sizzling 41.2C in the western region of Hyogo.

“The next month is expected to continue to bring severe heat throughout the country,” the weather agency said.

Precipitation in July was low over wide areas of Japan, with northern regions facing the Sea of Japan experiencing record low rainfall, it added.

How climate change is affecting the world can be gauged by erratic rains. The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record.

Experts warn Japan’s beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate or sometimes not fully blossoming because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering.

The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring China is also experiencing everything related to climate change — from drought and heatwaves to record-breaking rains and floods.

Read more: Record heat in China strains power grid, stirs health fears