Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Extreme danger: Forest fires are raging in southern Europe

12:07
6 July 2026

Drought and wind
Forest fires rage in southern Europe

Severe forest fires have spread across several southern European countries. From Portugal through Spain and the south of France to Greece.

Thousands of firefighters are working to bring the blazes under control. In the French Pyrenees, emergency services are battling the flames across more than 4,600 hectares of difficult-to-access terrain.

So far, 10,000 people have had to be evacuated from several villages. The third stage of the Tour de France has also been affected and, for safety reasons, will take place without spectators.

The plume of smoke from the fire south-west of Perpignan can also be seen on the WeatherRadar.

Seven departments in south-eastern France are on the highest alert level, red, as of Monday. There have also been a number of fires in Portugal, Spain and Greece over the last few days.

Wind as an accelerator

As well as the dry conditions, strong winds are currently the main factor fuelling the spread of the fires. Strong gusts are also expected in many regions of southern Europe over the coming days.

Did you know?

Forest fires around the Mediterranean are not uncommon during dry summers. Around 90 per cent are caused by human activity. Climate change is extending the forest fire season and making vegetation more flammable.

Clemens Teutsch-Zumtobel

More on the topic

Shooting stars from the Orionids peak. Mixed visibility overnight. . . Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Split image showing a bright green meteor streaking across a starry night sky beside a UK weather map with rain over Scotland and southern England.
Wednesday, 21 October 2026

Mixed visibility overnight

Shooting stars from the Orionids peak
Storm Boelo named. Weekend impacts. . . Thursday, 22 October 2026
Split weather maps showing Storm Boelo northwest of Scotland, winds reaching 50 mph near Glasgow and Liverpool, and spiralling Atlantic rain bands.
Thursday, 22 October 2026

Weekend impacts

Storm Boelo named
First major storm of the season. Storm Austen named. . . Tuesday, 20 October 2026
On the left, WindRadar shows a storm system over the UK with strong winds. On the right, high waves are crashing against a sea wall. A warning symbol indicates a storm.
Tuesday, 20 October 2026

Storm Austen named

First major storm of the season
All weather news

This might also interest you

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt. 40 °C in July?. . . Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Temperature radar of 2022 heatwave where the all-time temperature record in the UK was set. Warning symbol overlain.
Tuesday, 30 June 2026

40 °C in July?

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt
Bright and warm conditions take hold. Spring-like outlook. . . Thursday, 23 April 2026
Split UK map showing warm temperatures up to 21 degrees in orange on the left and clear sunny conditions with temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees on the right, with sun icons across the country.
Thursday, 23 April 2026

Spring-like outlook

Bright and warm conditions take hold
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList