Europe on high alert as deadly heatwave moves east and south
Europe faces a record-breaking heatwave causing deaths, transport disruptions, and event cancellations; forecasters warn the heat will shift to central Europe and the Balkans.
Health authorities across Europe were on high alert on Friday as a deadly heatwave progressed across the continent, prompting alcohol bans and the cancellation of mass gatherings in France, melting road surfaces in Germany and twisting rail tracks in Sweden.
Scientists said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average. Temperatures peaked in France and Britain, where June records have been broken. In Italy, the heat was expected to intensify into the weekend, bringing the summer’s first readings of 40°C.
Paris hit a June record of 40.9°C on Wednesday. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist warned of additional deaths. Across the continent, cultural landmarks have been forced to close, and farming has suffered. In Britain, doctors said the hot weather was affecting critical equipment such as MRI scanners in hospitals.
Paris police asked organizers of major events, including the Solidays music festival, to cancel. Organizers of the Pride festival said they would reschedule. In Belgium, a planned re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo was cancelled. England and the Netherlands issued code red alerts.
Extreme heat caused the surface of the A2 motorway in Germany to buckle and rupture. In Austria, the national rail company warned that train tracks could buckle. In Sweden, a cargo train derailed due to track buckling, stopping traffic between Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Britain's Met Office extended a red heat alert into a third day. Hundreds of schools remained closed and London's emergency services said calls for help were up 50 percent. A teenage boy died after entering a lake in central England.
A red alert was issued for almost the whole of the Netherlands and many schools were closed as temperatures up to 40°C were expected. Electric fans flew off the shelves in Britain, and Asian air conditioning manufacturers reported a European sales boom.
In France, the state-owned power utility EDF pledged to spend €80 million on cooling systems for schools and day-care centres. Most housing stock in northern Europe is not built to withstand such heat. According to the International Energy Agency, household ownership of air conditioning in Europe remains low at around 20 percent.
The heatwave is driven by an Omega block weather pattern, trapping hot air over regions for extended periods. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the heat will shift towards central Europe and the Balkans by the end of the month.
Scientists said the record-breaking heatwave would have been "virtually impossible" without manmade climate change. The World Weather Attribution group of climate scientists said this heatwave is the most severe ever recorded in the region.
Sweltering night-time temperatures are of particular concern, as they have not dropped below 22°C, depriving the body of recovery. French doctor Patrick Pelloux confirmed 55 deaths in Paris emergency services in 24 hours, calling it "enormous" compared to the normal three or four.
