Terrifying before and after photos show Europe could be changed forever by deadly heatwaves

Parts of Europe have been left unrecognisable by the deadly heatwaves, that caused carnage in their paths.From Italy to Scotland, wildfires have destroyed land and villages, lakes have dried up and farmland left baron by the high temperatures.On Thursday France, Spain and Greece all battled major wildfires as intense heat, dry vegetation and powerful winds kept much of southern Europe on alert.Fires in Crete killed three firefighters and forced tourists and residents to flee parts of the island, some by boat.Emergency crews have faced barely a pause between heatwaves and fire fronts this summer across an increasingly tinder-dry Europe, the world's fastest warming continent.Resources are being tested from drought-stricken England, where a fire at a caravan site in the eastern county of Suffolk was declared a major incident, to lush forests in France, the mountains of Spain and the ⁠picturesque villages of Greece.Here we look at some of ways Europe’s waterways have been left almost unrecognisable by the heatwave. Drag the slider left to rights to see more. The Danube in Hungary Romania shut down both reactors at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant due to low water levels in the Danube River used to cool them.River Rhine in Cologne, Germany Water levels on the Rhine river in Germany are approaching record lows, the country’s inland navigation agency said on Thursday, but freight vessel operators said they are ⁠continuing sailings for now.Varades Bridge on the River Loire, France Sandbanks on the Loire River in Loireauxence are on show as drought worsens in Maine-et-Loire department during a heatwave.Lake Brenets on the French-Swiss borderLake Brenets, a long, winding lake on the Swiss-French border, is all ⁠but drained and has been unnavigable for more than a week.Rheinauhafen harbour in Cologne, GermanyBoats lie in the partially dried-up Rheinauhafen harbour basin during low water levels on the Rhine river in Cologne, Germany.Mouse Tower on the Rhine in Bingen, GermanyA dry Rhine in Bingen, Germany EU countries are having an above-average season for wildfires, already overtaking 2025's record-breaking year. Across parts of ​western and southern ⁠Europe, a relatively wet winter fed forests and scrubland before successive heatwaves baked new ‌growth into tinder, leaving abundant fuel for fires.Thursday's temperatures showed Europe was the continent furthest from its historic norm, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor. The average high was forecast to be 25.3 degrees Celsius (77.5 degrees Fahrenheit), 3.6 C above what was typical from 1961 to 1990.