Portugal beaches see rare 'roll clouds' sweep over European holiday hotspot

Tourists have been left shocked by extremely rare “roll clouds” on European beaches while a terrifying “water bomb” tragically killed a man who was swept away.

Brits are facing unusually high temperatures which could peak at 36C today in the southeast of England and across the continent there have also been weather conditions that have been out of the ordinary with temperatures hitting 40C in June. At Wimbledon, tennis fans basked in a record hottest first day while in Portugal beach-goers saw freak roll clouds.

The weather phenomenon hit beaches in northern and central Portugal and they are so rare as you need the right conditions and for them to take place at the right time of day. They happen when the sun is rising or setting when the sea can be warmer than the air, or the other way round.

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Tourists told of a tsunami-like effect of clouds rising up and darkening the sky and it came as Portuguese authorities issued a red heat warning for seven of 18 districts with temperatures forecast to hit 43C.

Mario Marquez, Plano Clima climatologist, said: “This formation occurred due to the sea breeze during sunset at the beginning of the evening. Due to high temperatures on the surface it did not manage to progress inland and it stayed self-contained forming a constant roll.”

Heat warnings were issued for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the UK, with new highs expected today before rain should bring respite to some areas.

“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted from Seville, Spain, where temperatures hit 42C. He called for action to fight climate change, saying “the planet is getting hotter & more dangerous.”

Dr Hans Kluge, head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, warned in a statement that the scorching heat “silently threatens the people who need protection most: older adults, children, outdoor workers and anyone living with chronic health conditions.”

In Italy, the Health Ministry put 21 cities under its “red” alert, which indicates “emergency conditions with possible negative effects” on healthy, active people as well as others. Regional governments in northwestern Liguria and southern Sicily put restrictions on outdoor work.

There were torrential rains in the north, and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks. RAI state television said one person was killed.

Greengrocer Franco Chiaffrini, 70, was swept away by water and mud in Bardonecchia with regional president Alberto Cirio saying a “water bomb” suddenly hit the town.

Onlookers said that he was dragged by the current and his body was found several hours later by firefighters. “We are increasingly faced with emergency situations due to weather events that we used to call exceptional but are now more and more frequent,” Mr Cirio wrote on social media.

Spain’s national weather service said no relief from the first heat wave of the year is expected until Thursday. Sunday’s national average of 28C set a new high temperature for June 29 since records were started in 1950.

In France, where air conditioning remains relatively rare, authorities were taking extra effort to care for homeless and elderly people. Misting stations doused passers-by along the River Seine in Paris.

France’s first significant forest fires of the season consumed 400 hectares of woods Sunday and Monday in the southern Aude region. Water-dumping planes and some 300 firefighters were mobilized, the regional emergency service said.

While in Turkey more than 50,000 people have had to be evacuated due to wildfire which also forced the closure of the airport in Izmir.

Dramatic media footage showed hills cloaked in thick smoke and scorched trees as helicopters dumped water from the skies and tractors dragged water trailers across blackened fields. More than 1,000 firefighters, emergency personnel, helicopters, fire-extinguishing aircraft and other vehicles have been deployed to fight the flames.