Seven people have died in France in an extreme early summer heat event affecting a swathe of western Europe, with record high temperatures for May recorded for a second day in several countries.
In France, which logged its hottest ever May day on Monday and again on Tuesday, the weather agency Météo France said the heatwave could last through the week and predicted temperatures could reach 39C in some areas.
“What I can say today is that there have been seven deaths linked directly or indirectly to the heat,” the French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told TF1 television, adding that five of the deaths had been by drowning.
The UK also reported its hottest ever day for May, at 35C near London, breaking a record of 33.5C set on Monday, as a high-pressure system trapped warm air over western Europe.
Models have already estimated that with the effects of climate breakdown, June heatwaves are now about 10 times more likely in Europe than they were in the preindustrial era, and the same trajectory is becoming evident for May.
“This extension of the heatwave season is entirely characteristic of the effects of climate change,” Robert Vautard, a climate researcher, told Agence France-Presse. “Eventually, we will be seeing similar heat events in April and October.”
In Spain, widespread highs of 36-38C in the Guadiana, Guadalquivir and Ebro valleys were expected to continue possibly until Friday, the state weather service Aemet said, adding that temperatures could reach 40C in some areas.
In Italy’s Lazio region, which includes Rome, authorities have imposed restrictions on work in conditions “with prolonged exposure in the sun”, for example on farms, construction sites and in the delivery sector, between 12.30pm and 4pm.
In France, the national heat index, which measures the average temperature across the country, reached 24.8C, according to provisional readings from Météo France, surpassing Monday’s 24.6C, which was also a record.
Thirteen of France’s 96 administrative departments have been placed on an orange high temperature alert, the second highest level, requiring the population to “be vigilant and take precautions”. Another 29 were on a more moderate yellow warning.
It was the first time the national heat warning system had been activated in May since it was introduced in 2004.
“This is an unprecedented event with a one in 1,000 chance of happening at this time of year in the climate of 1979 to 2025,” Christophe Cassou, a climate scientist, told Le Monde. “It would have been virtually impossible in the preindustrial era.”
The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, called a meeting of key ministers on Thursday to assess government preparations for heatwaves after more than 350 weather stations across France recorded new monthly highs on Monday.
In Ireland, a record May temperature of 28.8C was recorded at two weather stations, Met Éireann data showed.
More heat records could be broken this week, forecasters said, with temperatures exceeding norms by 12C or 13C, in what Météo France described as a “premature, remarkable and long” heat episode.
The agency said the episode was caused by a heat dome, with hot air from Morocco trapped under an area of high pressure, and that Europe could expect such events to “occur more and more often, earlier and earlier, and to be more and more intense”.
Two deaths in France on Sunday have been directly attributed to the heat: a woman competing in a Hyrox fitness competition in Lyon died of hyperthermia, and a 53-year-old man had a heart attack during a 10km running race in Paris.
Sixteen people were hospitalised, including 10 in a critical condition, during another road race in the Paris suburb of Maisons-Alfort. Three teenagers were among those who drowned in swimming accidents over the weekend.
High temperatures drove many people to the country’s beaches and rivers to cool off in the water, even though lifeguard supervision is not due to start in most areas until July.
While parts of the UK are entering a heatwave – with temperatures exceeding 26C to 28C, depending on the location, for three consecutive days – in France, night-time temperatures must also stay above a certain level for a heatwave to be declared.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
