Western Europe was in the grip of a heat wave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week.
Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 36.1 C in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of western Europe.
France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peaked at 44.3 C in the southwestern town of Pissos on Tuesday. On Wednesday, temperatures in Paris hit 40.9 C, a June record.
Italy’s Health Ministry placed 16 cities — including Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin and Verona — on its highest heat alert, and warned the heat wave could intensify further, peaking between Sunday and Monday.
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the onset of the heat wave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and two young children were killed by heat in a car.
Spain reported two elderly people had died of heatstroke after days of temperatures exceeding 40 C, though conditions there began to ease on Wednesday after the hottest late-June days on record, according to national weather agency AEMET.
Scorching temperatures killed hundreds of thousands of birds at poultry farms in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire, agricultural groups said.
France’s nuclear power plants, which supply most of the country’s electricity, cut output by about 7 per cent of total demand as high temperatures limited access to cooling water.
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.
Britain’s record reading came after only the second extreme heat warning ever issued. Hundreds of schools closed or shortened their day as officials warned that high temperatures could endanger even healthy people. The 36.1 C reported by the Met Office in Gosport, Hampshire, edged above the previous June record of 35.6 C set in 1957 and matched in 1976.
Even London Climate Action Week was disrupted, with organizers cancelling an event on extreme heat because of the heat itself.
The U.K. set a new June heat record of 36.1 C in parts of southern England on Wednesday as a heat dome continues to bake much of Western Europe. An estimated 94 million people are enduring temperatures above 35 C.
The city’s rail networks were also affected by the heat, including delays and speed restrictions on major London Underground lines and cancellations of some commuter services. Some trains in Wales were also canceled because of the extreme heat.
Weather agency Meteo-France has said the conditions are comparable to a heat wave in August 2003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.
Conditions in France were expected to remain stifling on Thursday, the forecaster said, extending a red alert weather warning to 72 districts across the country.
Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, which makes prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.
Workers across industries affected
The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre announced early closing times, and the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace was scaled back, without the usual ceremony of soldiers in scarlet tunics and heavy bearskin hats.
The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, one of Italy’s top tourist sites, halted ticket sales on Wednesday to fix an air conditioning malfunction.
In Paris, where the annual Fashion Week was under way, the audience sweated through the Louis Vuitton show as male models showed off creations by pop singer Pharrell Williams on Tuesday evening. Labels including Dior and Rick Owens changed their schedules to hold shows in the morning.
First-time visitors to the French capital were disappointed. “So many people who had travelled from around the world aren’t getting the chance to see the sights that Paris has to offer because of this heat wave,” said Tanya Thompson, a visitor from the United States.
On the city’s streets, hundreds of undocumented migrants tried to find refuge from the heat, sleeping in nylon tents under an overpass as a municipal worker hosed down a sidewalk.
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France sees its hottest day on record amid early heat wave in Europe
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At least 18 dead in France as much of Europe grapples with extreme heat
An extreme heat warning was in place across the Netherlands, where outdoor sports were cancelled, public transport was scaled down and schools shortened classes or closed as temperatures were expected to soar to 36 C.
In Switzerland, local authorities opened air-conditioned theatres for free daytime cinema screenings.
Construction contractors across the continent altered working hours so employees could avoid the worst, while retailers struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air-conditioners.
A French agriculture co-operative said farmers were introducing night shifts for harvesting to protect workers from afternoon heat and fields from fire risk.
In Britain, the grid operator asked generators to make more power available amid soaring temperatures poised to break records later on Wednesday.
Temperatures in Japan have reached a breaking point, and the language is shifting to keep up. The Japan Meteorological Agency has introduced a new term for days exceeding 40 C: kokushobi, or “cruelly hot day.” In a culture with a deep relationship between seasons and language, CBC News’s Johanna Wagstaffe explores how the arrival of this word is a sobering signal of climate change.
Train operators have advised only essential journeys on Wednesday and Thursday, as the heat has brought speed restrictions.
In Italy, conditions were expected to worsen further, especially across central and northern regions, with the heat wave likely to peak between Sunday and Monday, meteorologists said.
Temperatures could reach 41 C between Tuscany and Emilia, while in coastal areas such as Liguria, the combination of heat and extreme humidity could drive perceived temperatures as high as 45 C.
Still, tourists waited patiently in the blazing sun to visit museums at the Vatican on Wednesday. Some held umbrellas or fans while others simply draped their heads with T-shirts. Many gathered for refills of water around fountains or cafes for other refreshments.
“We want a beer, a beer for the heat,” said Father Israel from the Dominican Republic as he held up a large pint of lager in his hand.
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