‘Tornadoes in Germany, heatwaves in Spain’: Climate change is taking its toll on Europe!

Climate change is wreaking havoc on Europe, with tornadoes tearing across Germany and Spain experiencing one of the worst heatwaves in its history. In Germany, a powerful tornado wreaked havoc in many cities in the country’s west, injuring more than 40 people and killing one.

The western city of Paderborn, which has a population of approximately 150,000 people, claimed the gusts, which meteorologists said may reach up to 130kph (81mph), blew away roofs, felled trees, and sent debris flying for kilometres. According to Sky News, ‘thirty to forty people were hurt, at least ten of them critically.’

People have been advised to stay in their homes so that rescue attempts are not impeded; otherwise, they may imperil themselves. The western German town of Lippstadt was seriously damaged by a tornado as heavy rain and hail raced over the country, officials said. A 38-year-old man was also killed in the region’s heavy storms on Friday. Images on social media showed a spire torn off the roof of a church tower in neighbouring Hellinghausen, with the wreckage dispersed across the churchyard.

In contrast, temperatures in Spain reached more than 40 degrees Celsius in some locations, making May the warmest month of the year. The state weather office, AEMET, issued heat warnings for eleven districts on Saturday, predicting ‘one of the most extreme’ heatwaves in years. On Friday, the city of Jaén in southern Spain achieved its highest May temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

Spain’s exceptionally warm spring weather is caused by hot air from North Africa, which causes temperatures to soar by up to 15 degrees Celsius over average for this time of year. According to the BBC, the worst-affected regions include Andalusia in the south, Extremadura in the south-east, Madrid and Castilla La Mancha in the centre, and Aragon in the north-east. The Spanish health ministry advised inhabitants to drink lots of water and remain in cool locations as much as possible. It also suggested that people minimise their physical activities.