Millions of people across France woke up sweating on Tuesday after another extremely hot night, as much of the country remained in the grip of intense heat. Over the past five days, 40 people have also died by drowning in France.
Temperatures are expected to stay high through the day and night. France’s weather agency, Meteo France, has placed 54 departments under a red heatwave alert, covering nearly half the country.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said after a crisis meeting that most of the 40 people who drowned since last Thursday were young. The heatwave is also disrupting daily life in a country where air conditioning is not common. Schools, train services and sporting events have all been affected.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather more frequent and more intense. The UN climate agency has warned that the next five years are likely to bring even more record-breaking heat.
Meteo France said bright sunshine continues across the country, keeping conditions exhausting and oppressive. In many towns, daytime temperatures are expected to cross 40 degrees Celsius, and the severe heat is likely to continue at least until the end of the week.
The weather agency also warned that some places could see temperatures higher than any previously recorded for this time of year.
It said the current heatwave is unusually intense for such an early stage of summer, though its full duration is still uncertain. The conditions have already drawn comparisons with the deadly August 2003 heatwave, when France saw around 15,000 deaths, many of them elderly people living in homes and care facilities without air conditioning.
France introduced a heat alert warning system after the 2003 disaster. Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, temperatures there have been rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
The World Health Organisation’s Europe office said this month that more than 2 lakh people across Europe had died from heat-related causes over the past four years, and many of those deaths could have been prevented. Prolonged high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion and dangerous heatstroke.
Heatwave also grips Britain
Across the English Channel, Britain is also bracing for extreme heat. The Met Office has issued a red heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday, saying June’s all-time daily temperature record could be broken.
Temperatures are expected to touch around 37 degrees Celsius in southern England and up to 35 degrees in southeast Wales. The hottest days are likely to be Wednesday and Thursday, when the mercury could climb to at least 39 degrees Celsius. Conditions are expected to ease by Friday.
The EU climate monitoring agency has said that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded both in Europe and globally. Europe also saw its second-highest number of “heat stress” days last year.
Scientists have warned that climate change is worsening heat and dry conditions, especially in southeastern Europe. This is increasing the risk to public health and making wildfires more likely.
Follow us
