Britain sees another day of record-breaking temperatures as Europe heat wave persists
Temperatures reached 36.4 C in southwestern England on Thursday, provisionally making it the hottest June day ever recorded in Britain, surpassing a record set just a day earlier, the U.K.’s national meteorological service said.
Authorities in Britain and France warned people to ditch their routines on Thursday as large parts of Western Europe remained in the grip of a deadly heat wave that has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.
Parts of southern England and Wales faced another day of record-breaking temperatures after a new June high of 36.1 C was provisionally set in the southern English county of Hampshire on Wednesday.
Britain’s Met Office extended a red heat alert covering a large area into Friday, the first time such warnings have been issued for three days in a row.
“Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to adapt their daily routines to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the U.K.,” said Andy Page, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu activated the highest level of health services mobilization in the face of the heat wave, meaning non-urgent operations could be cancelled to focus on caring for those affected by the hot weather.
Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 C on Wednesday.
Britain recorded its highest temperature ever for June – reaching 38.8 C in southern England, as the ‘Omega’ heat dome hovers over much of western Europe.
France implemented a number of measures against heat waves after one in 2003 caused nearly 15,000 excess deaths, with the elderly the hardest hit.
This time around, active younger people were a big concern, said Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris.
“Rather, it’s people aged between 50 and 70 who are generally in good health, but who think this is just a normal period and continue going about their usual activities as if nothing has changed. Really, protect yourselves,” he told broadcaster TF1.
The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI on Thursday also issued a rare red alert for extreme heat across almost the entire Netherlands for Friday. It said temperatures could soar to up to 40 C in certain places.
Drowning deaths in France, Germany
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the start of the heat wave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and three young children are known to have been killed by heat in cars in two separate incidents.
Since the end of last week, more than 20 people across Germany have lost their lives in swimming-related accidents, the German Life Saving Association said in a statement to Reuters.
In Italy, media reported that five people had died on Wednesday from heat-related incidents.
The heat wave, expected to peak over the next three days, could endanger the health of up to 1.5 million Italian workers including builders, farmers and couriers, according to estimates by the Italian CGIL trade union and Greenpeace Italy.
Several regions have banned outdoor work during the hottest times of the day, and the government this week said firms forced to pause work due to the heat could access funds for furloughed staff.
Changes introduced in France since the 2003 heat wave included checking in on the elderly regularly and offering those in a retirement home the chance to spend several hours a day in a room with air conditioning.
Air conditioning remains relatively rare in Europe, but Asian makers of air conditioners, such as South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, China’s Midea and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric, are enjoying a boom in sales, with strong demand from countries such as France, Spain and Italy.
The heat wave is being driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, pushing temperatures as much as 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in heat over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes. Heat waves and storms are being intensified by climate change.
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray said that 13,500 schools were closed or placed on special schedules on Thursday.
More than 1,000 schools closed or were partly closed in Britain as the temperature in some classrooms climbed to over 40 C, and authorities worry about extreme heat on treeless playgrounds, with the end of term still a few weeks away for many.
U.S. tourist Keaghan Cronin, playing with her children in sprinklers in Paris, said that was a nice spot, but it was just too hot.
“The [children are] very uncomfortable. We are actually going to leave a little early, because it’s too hot. We’re going to leave Paris early,” she said.
Sporting events affected in Germany, Austria
Germany’s National Meteorological Service issued extreme heat warnings for a large area of western Germany, with temperatures expected to rise to 38 C on Thursday and 41 C on Friday and Saturday. A half marathon run scheduled for Sunday in the northern city of Hamburg was postponed.
In neighbouring Austria, the national weather service issued a red heat warning for the northeast of the country, including Vienna, this weekend, when the temperature in the capital could hit a record 40 C.
Formula One’s governing body declared a heat hazard for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring in the south of the country this weekend.
That requires teams to fit a driver cooling system, such as a liquid-cooled vest, though drivers are not obliged to use them and can take a ballast penalty instead.
