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 /

    Fires, heat, storms, hail: Europe's wild week of weather

11:00
29 July 2023

Fires, heat, storms, hail
Europe's wild week of weather

Temperature radar with heat warning on left, thunderstorms on right
Heat, thunderstorms, hail, wildfires… Europe experienced it all this week.

It has been a tumultuous week of weather across the continent, to keep up with everything we’re rounding up the most important stories.

Wildfires in Greece

Out of control forest fires in Greece quickly spread this week, affecting hotels and tourist hotspots and seeing local residents forced to evacuate.

An estimated 20,000 tourists were forced to flee the situation in Rhodes while large fires also broke out in Corfu, Evia, and others.

Tragedy struck on Wednesday when a plane being used to douse flames from above accidentally clipped a tree as it banked near Platanistos. Crashing and killing both on board.

Check out our full coverage of the events from earlier this week.

Wildfires spread across Greeceread more

Thunderstorms and hail in Italy

Italy was struck by dual extremes. First, with severe thunderstorms in northern regions. Overnight storms in Lombardy impacted Milan resulting in an estimated £85 million worth of damage while two people were killed in the Monza and Brescia provinces.

Accompanying the storms were hailstones, extremely large hailstones. Including a possible record-breaker for the largest hailstone ever recorded, which fell in Azzano Decimo of the Pordenone province.

Find more coverage on this event below:

Supercells and record hail in Italyread more

Heatwave across Mediterranean

Finally, much of Southern Europe has been sweltering in the heat thanks to a heat dome situated over the region.

Amid blistering temperatures, one stood out among the collection. A reading of 48.2°C in Jerzu, Sardinia. Officially marking the hottest July day ever seen in Europe.

The all-time record high remains 48.8°C, set in Sicily on August 11, 2021.

48.2°C marks hottest July day everread more

These conditions contributed to the outbreaks of wildfires in Greece. A study released by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health linked the 2022 heatwave to over 61,000 excess deaths. We wait to see how this year will compare.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Record-breaking heatwave in Europe. New records. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
A map showing extremely high temperatures across Western Europe and a warning symbol. On the right, people cool off at a fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower during the heatwave in Paris.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

New records

Record-breaking heatwave in Europe
Frost instead of a heatwave. Winter in South America. . . Friday, 26 June 2026
Temperature map of South America showing a widespread cold air outbreak across Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil, with a large blue thermometer icon highlighting below-average temperatures and near-freezing conditions in parts of Argentina.
Friday, 26 June 2026

Winter in South America

Frost instead of a heatwave
Trapped beneath a blanket of hot air. Heat dome. . . Monday, 22 June 2026
Split graphic showing a heat dome illustration over Europe on the left with a high-pressure system trapping hot air, and an extreme temperature map on the right displaying widespread 40–41°C heat across France and Spain with a large thermometer icon.
Monday, 22 June 2026

Heat dome

Trapped beneath a blanket of hot air
All weather news
This might also interest you
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Storm Benjamin impacts the UK. Warnings active. . . Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Split weather map showing UK wind speeds in orange-red shades up to 40 mph on the left and warning levels in green-yellow on the right, with a central wind warning sign.
Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Warnings active

Storm Benjamin impacts the UK
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
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