The United Kingdom's Met Office has issued its first-ever Red warning for extreme heat, it announced on Friday.
Driving the news: The unprecedented warning comes as Europe is in the grip of a record-breaking heatwave. Temperatures of 104°F (40°C) are forecast in the U.K. for the first time ever, topping a previous record of 101.66°F (38.7°C) from July of 2019, per the release.
A dangerous heat wave is fueling fires across Europe and climate change is "aggravating the situation, making countries more prone to wildfires and increasing the intensity of such events," a new EU report warns.
What's happening: Thousands of firefighters are battling blazes in searing heat across the continent. The fires have forced thousands of people to evacuate in France, Spain, Portugal and Croatia, as Europe faces another potentially record-breaking heat wave for a second consecutive month.
The federal and state response to the escalating monkeypox outbreak is lacking access to enough vaccines, testing and treatments to keep up with the virus' spread, infectious disease experts are warning.
Why it matters: Public health officials are racing to halt the spread before the disease becomes endemic in more countries. Cases are rising quickly —New York City, for example, has seen a tripling in patients over the past week.
Europe's ongoing heat wave could last a total of several weeks and is expected to break a number of all-time records across the continent.
Why it matters: Severe heat waves are of particular concern in Europe as they can often prove extremely deadly due to air conditioning being less ubiquitous than in the U.S.
Our house plants don't just look nice. They make us happier and healthier.
Why it matters: Many of our jobs keep us indoors — away from nature — and the pandemic magnified that problem. But it turns out being around nature is essential to health.
