<p>So far, no major cities have been affected by the wildfires, thankfully. The heat and drought, already the worst in recorded history, are set to continue for at least a week though. I never thought I would miss rain this much. :)</p>
<blockquote><em><a href="#294566">In reply to christian.hvid:</a></em></blockquote><p>Tell me about it! I'm in North Germany and it is bad enough here. The South has had major floods 2 or 3 times already and we've had a 10 minute shower in the last month or so! My wife and I don't like hot weather either and we are forecast to get 36°C this week! </p><p>Glad I have the week free and don't have to suffer in the office – although I think I could find a reason to work in the computer room all day! :-D</p><p>The last summers I remember like this were 1976 and 1995, in the UK. I hope it won't be that bad!</p><p>The South is again forecast to get major thunderstorms and torrential rain, us? Nothing, nada, just clear skies and too much heat!</p><p>I hope they have the fires under control now and you all remain safe!</p>
<blockquote><em><a href="#294567">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Without getting into the climate debate, let's just say that extreme is the new normal now. We seem to be smashing either heat records or cold records just about every year.</p><p><br></p><p>Unfortunately, the fires are not under control by any means. But we're getting assistance from all over Europe now, for which everyone is very thankful.</p><p><br></p><p>Incidentally, I asked Paul to bring some rain when he popped by. And lo and behold, the moment he landed on Swedish turf, we had the first showers in weeks. Truly unexpected powers!</p>
<blockquote><em><a href="#294568">In reply to christian.hvid:</a></em></blockquote><p>We had a couple of hours of thunder storms last night, but the rain wasn't too heavy, just constant. It has done a world of good.</p><p>The authorities at the beginning of this week were asking people to water the trees in the cities (80-100 litres per tree, 2-3 times a week). Now they are saying that nobody should water plants or grass…</p>
<blockquote><em><a href="#294567">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>I can't really compare this historically, but for us, as visitors, this is very reminiscent of the summer 2015 heat wave (when we visited Lyon). I believe France literally sold out of fans.</p>