BBC: Extreme heat across Europe

Today, we're talking about something  very serious- extreme heat across Europe. Records have been broken, wildfires are spreading, and scientists are warming that this is another clear sign of climate change. 

We'll look at what's happening in different countries, why this heat is so dangersous, and how it connects to the bigger picture of our warming planet. 

And of course, we'll explain some useful English words and phrases along the way. 

But before we begin, let's start with today's quiz question. Listen carefully:

What does the word "heatwave" mean?

a) A sudden rise in ocean levels. 

b) A period unusually hot weather. 

c) A type of wind that comes from the desert. 

d) A wave of fire caused by wildfires. 

We'll give you teh answer at the end. 

So, what's happening? In several European countries- France, Italy, Spain, Crotia, Hungry- temperatures have gone far above normal. 

For example, in parts of south-west France, temperatures were 12 degrees hotter than usual for this time of year. That's huge!

Yes, and in Hungary, one small town hit almost 40 degrees Celsius. The capital, Budapest, also broke its daily record, with almost the same number. 

We often hear this phrase: record-breaking temperature. 

That simply means the tempeature is higher than it has ever been before, at least records began. 

But it's not only about feeling hot. The heat has made the land very dry, and that helps wildfires spread. 

Yes. In Croatia, large fires burned along the coast and even crossed into nearby countries. In Spain, a man tragically died in a wildfire after being badly burned. 

Scientists have described the situation as a "molotov cocktail" of conditions. 

That phrase comes from a type of homemade firebomb. Here, it's used metaphorically to mean a dangerous mix of things- in this case, heat, wind, and dry plants all combining to create a disaster. 

And this isn't just a European problem, Canada and Iraq also broke records, with some parts of Iraq hitting more than 50 degrees Celsius. 

Fifty! That's hard to imagine. In fact, Iraq even suffered a blackout- meaning the electricity failed- because of the heat. 

And this summer, even the Arctic Circle- one of the coldest places on Earth- experienced unprecedented heat above 30 degrees.

Unprecedented means something that has never happened before. So these temperatures are shocking because they are completely  new for that region. 

Now, in some places the numbers didn't break records, but scientists still sounded the alarm. 

Yes, in Italy and Spain, the main concern was not just the intensity, but the length and the spread of the heat wave. 

That's the word extent. 

Extent means how big something is, or how far it reaches. Here, it means the heat is affecting a huge area across the continent. 

A French scientist explained that more than half of all the heatwaves in France since 1947 have happened in just the last 15 years. 

That's a very clear pattern. And she said directly: this is evidence that the climate is warming. 

Bob Ward, a climate policy director, put it more strongly. He said, "This is what climate change looks like. And it will only get worse."

That's the key message: extreme wealther events like this are no longer rare. They are becoming normal. 

And the human cost is huge. High heat already kills tens of thousands of people in Europe each year. 

Researchers predict that by the end of the century, dangerous heat will kill thousands more every year.