Girls wearing swimsuits sit along the Canal de l’Ourcq in Paris, Friday, June 28, 2019. Schools are spraying kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of schools were closed, outdoor events canceled and volunteers were visiting the elderly at home as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.

Several people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.

Several countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 45.9 C (114.6 F) in the small southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux, according to French media.

The French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.

About 4,000 schools were closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions.

Local authorities canceled several cultural and sport events and many end-of-school-year carnivals.

City halls were also sending volunteers to visit elderly people at home to ensure they had fans and water.

In Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a southwest Paris suburb, Jean-Jacques Emerjian, 87, and his wife Marie-France, 80 were relieved to see the Red Cross volunteers.

Marie-France Emerjian said “with my handicapped husband I am worried because I don’t have someone who can come right away (to help). He fell the other night and I couldn’t get him up and I was scared. He had a malaise, he fainted.”

In the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the Salvation Army day center, which allows migrants living in the streets to take showers, also provided them with lots of bottled water.

Paris city hall estimates that about 1,000-2,000 migrants currently live in makeshift camps, which are particularly exposed to the heat.

Some criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke up France to the risks.

“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.

“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”

Italy put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.

Heat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.

An 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.

Four people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.

France has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.

More than 200 firefighters dealt with dozens of fires in the Gard region, in southeastern France, and a highway was closed for safety reasons.

More than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 C (104 F).

In Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down.

The World Meteorological Organization said Friday that temperature records for this time of year have been broken in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.

Speaking in Geneva, WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis said Earth is set to experience its five warmest years on record from 2015-2019. The WMO says that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will fuel global heat and climate change.

“It’s hitting the poorest and most vulnerable but it will ultimately hit everybody,” Nullis said.

In Paris, near the presidential palace, about 100 students organized a street protest to urge authorities to take immediate action on climate change. The action ended without police violence.

French President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as a champion of fighting climate change, but environmental organizations say that France doesn’t do enough to limit the impact of global warming.

The heat wave is caused by warm air rising across Europe from north Africa. Hot temperatures are expected to last until Sunday when a cold front will arrive on the continent.

Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London, Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France contributed. </s> A freak storm in northern Greece killed six tourists and left more than 30 others injured on Wednesday.

Eyewitness video shows violent winds and rain hitting Halkidiki, an area near Thessaloniki popular with holidaymakers, around 9.45 p.m. local time (2.45 p.m. ET).

An elderly Czech couple were killed when their caravan was blown over, and two Russians and two Romanians also died, according to CNN affiliate CNN Greece.

The localized storm reportedly only lasted around 10-15 minutes.

Other injured people were transferred to local hospitals and one was taken to intensive care, but all of them are in a stable condition, government spokesman Stelios Petsa was reported as saying by CNN Greece.

The local coastguard was also searching for a 62-year-old fisherman who went out to sea around 6 p.m. local time.

British tourist Kirstie Taylor, who filmed the video above, told CNN she was at Ikos resort in Halkidiki when the storm hit.

“It started with constant lightning, which went on for about 15 minutes. It was like someone switching a light on and off,” she said.

“Then the storm happened very quickly. Chairs and tables were blown everywhere.”

Family travel blogger Emily Kishtoo was at a beach party when the storm struck and the power cut out.

“There was screaming and people running about trying to get out of the beach bar and off the beach – there were probably around 200 people or so,” she told CNN.

Kishtoo described grabbing her children and running back to her hotel in the torrential rain, with fallen trees and debris on the road.

“Things are still not back to normal here this morning, she said.

“The hotel is still on a generator, there is no running water, and the weather has turned cold.”

Temperatures hit 37 degrees Celsius in the area on Monday, but dropped to 19 degrees Celsius early Thursday.

In September 2018 a rare hurricane-like storm triggered flooding as it hit southern Greece.

The storm, called Zorba, was dubbed a “Medicane” because of its location in the Mediterranean and its tropical-storm-like qualities.

Such storms only occur once or twice a year, usually during September and October, when sea surface temperatures are warm.

In early July large swathes of Europe were struck by a heatwave that pushed temperatures to record breaking levels.

The mercury reached 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit) in Gallargues-le-Montueux in the Gard department in southern France, according to the French national weather service Météo-France. </s> • Europe is being blasted by another massive heat wave, that could break records again, one month after some countries experienced their highest-ever temperatures.
• Two swimmers were found dead this week in England in the high heat, and two more are missing.
• One French city has already set a new heat record, while temperatures across France, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are expected to peak on Thursday.
• Countries are on high alert as Paris, France, could reach 42 C (107.6 F), while parts of Germany could reach 41 C (105.8 F), and parts of Belgium are forecast to reach 40 C (104 F).

Europe is battling a second extreme heat wave of the summer, which could break temperature records, and has already been associated with at least two deaths.

The heat is blasting northern and western Europe with temperatures that have already beaten some all-time records, and is yet to peak.

Many places in Europe have not long recovered from a heatwave a few weeks ago which set new records.

London is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, and temperatures in England could top the all-time record there of 38.5 C Celsius (101.3 F).

France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands are all preparing to be hit by extreme heat as well.

London’s Metropolitan police said Wednesday that it found the body of one man who went swimming in the Thames, and that it was still searching for two other men who went missing in the river.

Police also found a body in a water park in Gloucestershire, south-western England, on Tuesday.

Read more: How extreme summer heat affects your body and brain

Swimming-related deaths tend to spike in extreme heat as people enter bodies of water – like the Thames – which are rarely used for swimming.

The French city of Bordeaux hit its highest-ever recorded temperature on Tuesday, at 41.2 degrees C (106.1 F), and France’s emergency services are on high alert as temperatures are set to rise into Thursday.

Paris could then reach 42 C (107.6 Farenheit) – the highest temperature ever recorded in the city.

Read more: 6 unexpected ways to survive a heat wave without air conditioning, from freezing your sheets to practicing a ‘cooling breath’

German Meteorological Service DWD warned that temperatures could reach 41 C (105.8 F) in some parts of the country on Thursday.

Andreas Friedrich, a spokesperson for DWD, said: “If these predictions are met, this heatwave would go down in the history books

“As a meteorologist, I have never seen anything like this before.”

Brussels, Belgium, is forecast to reach 40 C on Thursday, and much of the country is on red alert, which Belgian authorities say are only issued for “extremely high temperatures.”

Read more: The climate crisis is inherently unfair. These 9 countries will get hit especially hard as the globe heats up.

The Netherlands is under an orange alert until Friday, with authorities implementing the country’s national heat plan. Parts of the country could reach 39 C (102.2 F) on Thursday. The current record is 38.6 C (101.5 F).

England’s public health service told people to “know the steps to take for keeping cool and that you’re looking out for those who are more vulnerable in the heat.”

The UK Met Office also urged people to look out for vulnerable people, like the elderly, and to keep out of direct sunlight. Train companies ran reduced services as they were forced to slow down to prevent railway lines from buckling in the heat.

According to The Local France, 80 of the 96 regions in mainland France are on alert because of the heat, and water restrictions are in place across the country.

Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, and Sweden are also facing temperatures higher than 30 degrees C (86 F).

The heat comes just one month after a huge heatwave gripped much of the continent, breaking June temperature records in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, giving France its highest-ever recorded temperature, and prompting one Spanish meteorologist to tweet: “Hell is coming.”

One French village recorded temperatures of 45.1 C (113.18 F), and France opened new public pools and parks in a bid to keep people cool and avoid a repeat of a 2003 heatwave was linked to the deaths of 15,000 French people.

June ended up being the hottest month ever on record around the world.

Much of the eastern US has also been hit by a heatwave this month, with “oppressive and dangerous” heat. </s> New maximums set in Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, as citizens swelter across Europe

This article is more than 1 month old

This article is more than 1 month old

Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands have recorded their highest ever temperatures as the second extreme heatwave in as many months to be linked by scientists to the climate emergency grips the continent.

The Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, said the temperature reached 39.2C (102.5F) at the Gilze-Rijen airbase near Breda on Wednesday afternoon, exceeding the previous high of 38.6C set in August 1944.

In Belgium, the temperature in Kleine-Brogel hit 38.9C on Wednesday afternoon, fractionally higher than the previous record of 38.8C set in June 1947, and then subsequently rose to 39.9C. Forecasters said temperatures could climb further on Thursday.

Germany’s national weather service, DWD, said it believed a new all-time national high of 40.5C – 0.2C higher than the record – had been set in the town of Geilenkirchen near the Dutch and Belgian borders, but had still to confirm it.

“The most extreme heat will build from central and northern France into Belgium, the Netherlands and far western Germany into Thursday,” said Eric Leister of the forecasting group AccuWeather.

After several cities in France broke previous temperature records on Tuesday, including Bordeaux, which hit 41.2C, the national weather service, Météo France, said Paris was likely to beat its all-time high of 40.4C, set in July 1947, with 42C on Thursday.

City records in Amsterdam and Brussels are also expected to fall. Cities are particularly vulnerable in heatwaves because of a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, in which concrete buildings and asphalt roads absorb heat during the day and emit it again at night, preventing the city from cooling.

The latest heatwave, caused by an “omega block” – a high-pressure pattern that blocks and diverts the jet stream, allowing a mass of hot air to flow up from northern Africa and the Iberian peninsula – follows a similar extreme weather event last month that made it the hottest June on record.

Quick guide What is causing Europe's heatwaves? Show Hide Is this a record-breaking heatwave? Temperature records for this time of year have already been broken across much of Europe. The highest ever June temperatures were recorded in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Andorra, Luxembourg, Poland and Germany, while France registered an all-time record high of 45.9C. Why is it so hot? The latest heatwave, caused by an “omega block” – a high-pressure pattern that blocks and diverts the jet stream, allowing a mass of hot air to flow up from northern Africa and the Iberian peninsula – follows a similar extreme weather event last month that made it the hottest June on record. Is this heatwave a result of climate breakdown? It is not possible to pin the heatwave definitively on climate change because weather varies naturally. Moreover, the effects of climate change are not simple. For example, heavy rain and cloud across northern Europe is likely to become more common as the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the jet stream weather system to become fixed in position. However, this year’s weather is certainly in line with the predictions scientists have made of rising temperatures, more heatwaves and prolonged droughts interspersed with periods of heavy flooding. What are the negative impacts of a heatwave? The body’s ability to regulate its own temperature is crucial; babies and older people are less well able to regulate their temperature and should stay in well-ventilated conditions. In the 2003 European heatwave there were about 70,000 excess deaths attributed to the long hot spell. People with underlying illnesses can also have problems, and even those who are healthy can experience difficulty sleeping and discomfort, so people are advised to stay hydrated and wear loose clothing at night. There is also an impact on farmers. While warmth at the right time is crucial for crop growth, excessively high temperatures can inhibit that growth, particularly if they are prolonged. Livestock can also suffer in the heat and need extra care. Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent



The highest ever June temperatures were recorded in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Andorra, Luxembourg, Poland and Germany, while France registered an all-time record high of 45.9C in the southern commune of Gallargues-le-Montueux.

Clare Nullis, a World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman, said the heatwaves bore the “hallmark of climate change”. The extreme events were “becoming more frequent, they’re starting earlier, and they’re becoming more intense”, she said. “It’s not a problem that’s going to go away.”

The 26-28 June heatwave in France was 4C hotter than a June heatwave would have been in 1900, according to World Weather Attribution, a new international programme helping the scientific community to analyse the possible influence of climate breakdown on extreme weather events.

A study published earlier this year by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich said the summer heatwave across northern Europe last year would have been “statistically impossible” without climate change driven by human activity.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rail passengers in Paris are given bottled water as temperatures on the city’s transport network soar. Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images

KNMI has issued a code orange extreme temperature warning for all of the Netherlands except the offshore Wadden Islands and implemented its “national heat emergency” plan, while Belgium has taken the unprecedented step of placing the entire country on a code red warning.

Spain has also declared a red alert in the Zaragoza region, where the worst wildfires in 20 years took place last month. The EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service warned of an extreme danger of further forest fires in France and Spain on Thursday, with a high or very high threat level in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Portugal.

Twenty French départements were also placed on red alert. Agnès Buzyn, the health minister, said: “Nobody is immune in the face of such extreme temperatures. There are risks even if you are not particularly vulnerable.”

Britain’s Met Office issued similar advice and said the UK all-time high of 38.5C, recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003, could be exceeded on Thursday.

Local authorities in France have placed restrictions on water usage in 73 of the country’s 96 départements following dramatic falls in ground and river water levels. “It’s tricky but under control, but we need to be very vigilant,” said the junior environment minister, Emmanuelle Wargon.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A thermometer shows the temperature outside the town hall of Belin-Béliet in south-western France. Photograph: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images

The French energy company EDF said it was shutting down two reactors at its Golfech nuclear power plant in the southern Tarn-et-Garonne region in order to limit the heating of water used to keep the reactors cool.

Scientists have said such heatwaves are closely linked to the climate emergency and will be many times more likely over the coming decades.

Last month, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said Europe’s five hottest summers since 1500 had all occurred in the 21st century – in 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016 and 2018.

Monthly records were now falling five times as often as they would in a stable climate, the institute said, adding that this was “a consequence of global warming caused by the increasing greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil and gas”.

• This article was amended on 25 July 2019 to add a temperature announced after publication. The Belgian weather service initially announced that Kleine-Brogel had hit 38.9C, but the temperature later rose to 39.9C. </s> Europe is sweltering in intense heat, suffering through the latest heat wave in a summer that has seen at least 12 countries experience record-breaking temperatures.

Meteorologists say Europe is on track for the hottest July on record, following the warmest June since records began in 1880.

Scientists warn the world should expect more scorching heat waves due to climate change and that current temperature highs are in line with predictions made over a decade ago.

Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK all reached record-breaking temperatures this week.

On Wednesday, Belgium endured its hottest day ever recorded, with temperatures rising to 39.9 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit). The Netherlands broke a 75-year record Wednesday, and then hit another all-time high of 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Thursday, the national weather forecasting institute said. Temperatures there are still climbing.

In the German town of Geilenkirchen, a temperature high of 40.5 degrees Celsius (104.9 Fahrenheit) was recorded Wednesday. The UK experienced its hottest ever July day Thursday, with temperatures predicted to beat the hottest ever recorded temperature of 38.5 Celsius, set in 2003.

All four countries remain on extreme heat alert.

In June, a heat wave broke temperature records in eight countries, including France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

France reached a scorching 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit). The country is on high alert again, with temperatures of 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) expected in Paris.

The current heat wave presents a serious threat to Notre Dame Cathedral. The roof of Paris’ beloved cathedral, which survived a massive fire months ago, is at risk of collapse, according to chief architect Philippe Villeneuve.

“What I fear is that the joints or the masonry, as they dry, lose their coherence, their cohesion and their structural qualities and that all of sudden, the vault gives way,” he said.

Heat waves such as this one could become the new normal for Europe, driven by rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions, scientists say.

“Climate change is without doubt ‘loading the dice’ and making heat waves much more likely and much more severe,” according to Michael Byrne, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland.

A group of European scientists concluded that the June heat wave was made at least five times more likely because of climate change — and perhaps 100 times more likely.

France’s weather service also made the link, issuing a warning that without serious carbon dioxide reductions, heat waves could become more intense and frequent than in the past.

While temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit might not seem high in comparison to some other parts of the world, they are way above seasonal averages for much of Europe.

Many European cities are not designed to deal with such temperatures. Less than 5% of all European households have been air-conditioned, according to a 2017 report, and public transport can grind to a halt in intense heat.

Amid the sweltering heat, trains were canceled in a number of European countries due to risk of derailment.

A Eurostar train traveling from Belgium to London broke down Wednesday, trapping passengers in 40 degrees Celsius heat, without air conditioning.

Network Rail, which operates the UK’s rail infrastructure, said track temperatures in and around London were set to exceed 50 Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), almost double the average summer rail temperature in the UK.

Railway tracks expand in heat and are prone to buckling when temperatures rise.

One solution is to paint rail tracks white to reflect the sun’s heat, according to John Easton, a rail expert at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

“This can reduce the track temperature by 5°C and reduces signaling failures which lead to significant disruption,” he said, adding that Italy uses the technique to lower the risk of buckling.

It is not just public transport that is grinding to a halt because of the heat. In southern France, EDF energy group closed its nuclear power plant as temperatures rose above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

“The reason for the cut in output is not because of a technical problem, but an environmental one regarding heating up the river water beyond what is safe for marine life,” according to a spokesperson for the Nuclear Industry Association.

Heat waves pose serious health risks and can cause cardiovascular and respiratory systems to fail, resulting in premature death, Clare Heaviside, of the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute (ECI), told CNN.

Elderly people are most at risk as they are more prone to heatstroke. Experts advise they should keep windows closed and pull blinds down during the hottest part of the day.

European countries must accept the reality of climate change and learn to adapt to extreme weather events, according to Dr Friederike Otto, director of the ECI.

Otto said France took important mitigation measures after a heat wave in 2003 contributed to tens of thousands of premature deaths.

“France made heat plans to better prepare and reduce mortality. These were activated during the June 2019 heat wave and measures including closing schools and setting up helplines reduced the impacts,” he said.

Paolo Ruti, a climate scientist at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told CNN cities could adopt a host of measures to reduce heat impacts, including installing mist spray systems at bus stops and stations, as well as whitening roofs, which would help cool buildings.

It’s not just heat waves, and it’s not just Europe. Countries around the world are experiencing extreme weather catastrophes that threaten to render entire regions unlivable — India is swinging between extreme drought and fatal flooding, 157 million Americans were gripped by a stifling heat wave last week, and the Arctic is facing “unprecedented” wildfires. </s> Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.

Belgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.

And the mercury is expected to rise even further.

Paris and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.

The weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn’t rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.

WHY IS IT SO HOT?

The second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first — hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms “a little heat dome,” said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.

This heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind — and dust — from Africa’s Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.

At the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.

Heat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.

A team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe’s June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.

“Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes ‘summer’ — if we continue on this trajectory,” said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn’t part of the European group.

The heat waves aren’t just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is “a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers,” Mann said in an email.

HOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?

Temperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.

The Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday’s heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.

Belgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833. In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was “the highest ever Belgian temperature.”

Also, temperatures won’t cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.

The German Weather Service said a probable record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?

France in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn’t repeated.

Those measures include a color-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.

There are also public service announcements on media and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.

Millions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of coordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.

Still, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.

In the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution — with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.

The salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.

The city says in a statement that the salt “attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt.” It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.

Across London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centers for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.

London police warned people not to swim in the city’s River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.

“Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round,” police said in a statement. “On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents.”

WHEN IS IT OVER?

The heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding. </s> Kirsten Grieshaber and Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press 

 



BERLIN -- Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.

Belgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.

And the mercury is expected to rise even further.

Paris and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.

The weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn't rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.

WHY IS IT SO HOT?

The second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first -- hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms "a little heat dome," said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.

This heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind -- and dust -- from Africa's Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.

At the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.

Heat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.

A team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe's June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.

"Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes 'summer' -- if we continue on this trajectory," said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn't part of the European group.

The heat waves aren't just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is "a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers," Mann said in an email.

HOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?

Temperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.

The Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday's heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.

Belgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833.In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was "the highest ever Belgian temperature."

Also, temperatures won't cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.

The German Weather Service said a record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?

France in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn't repeated.

Those measures include a colour-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month's heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.

There are also public service announcements on television, radio and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.

Millions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of co-ordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.

Still, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.

In the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution -- with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.

The salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.

The city says in a statement that the salt "attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt." It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.

Across London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centres for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.

London police warned people not to swim in the city's River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.

"Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round," police said in a statement. "On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents."

WHEN IS IT OVER?

The heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding.

Seth Borenstein reported from Washington. Elaine Ganley and Angela Charlton in Paris, Natasha Livingstone in London, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed reporting </s> BERLIN (AP) — Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.

Belgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.

And the mercury is expected to rise even further.

Paris and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.

The weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn’t rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.

WHY IS IT SO HOT?

The second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first — hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms “a little heat dome,” said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.

This heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind — and dust — from Africa’s Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.

At the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.

Heat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.

A team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe’s June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.

“Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes ‘summer’ — if we continue on this trajectory,” said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn’t part of the European group.

The heat waves aren’t just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is “a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers,” Mann said in an email.

HOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?

Temperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.

The Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday’s heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.

Belgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833. In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was “the highest ever Belgian temperature.”

Also, temperatures won’t cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.

The German Weather Service said a probable record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?

France in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn’t repeated.

Those measures include a color-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.

There are also public service announcements on television, radio and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.

Millions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of coordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.

Still, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.

In the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution — with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.

The salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.

The city says in a statement that the salt “attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt.” It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.

Across London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centers for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.

London police warned people not to swim in the city’s River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.

“Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round,” police said in a statement. “On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents.”

WHEN IS IT OVER?

The heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding.

Seth Borenstein reported from Washington. Elaine Ganley and Angela Charlton in Paris, Natasha Livingstone in London, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed reporting.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> After a June heat wave smashed national temperature records in France and broke historic June records across Europe, a mass of hot air has returned to the continent.

On Wednesday, the Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported that the nation's all-time temperature record, which stood for the last 75 years, fell as temperatures hit 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit (38.8 C).

Belgium broke its national heat record too, as temperatures reached 103.8 F (39.9 C), reported David Dehenauw, the head of forecasting at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. And the the German Meteorological Service announced its highest temperature in recorded history, of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 C).

The Germany weather agency noted that this brand new record might last for one day.

That's because there's substantially more heat to come. On Thursday, the UK Met Office expects temperatures to reach over 102 F (39 C), easily toppling the nation's previous temperature record by nearly 1 degree F. Meanwhile, France's weather agency, Météo-France, predicts temperatures could reach 107.6 F (42 C) in Paris. This would smash the previous Parisian record of 40.4 C, set over 70 years ago. (Paris has temperature records going back to 1658, when Louis the Great reigned over the country.)

While heat waves are natural occurrences — typically caused by persistent weather patterns that allow big zones of high pressure to settle over a region and bring clear skies and warm air — Earth's relentlessly rising levels of background warming amplify heat waves, like an athlete pumping performance-enhancing drugs. This means that historic temperatures are expected to fall, have been falling, and will continue to fall.

"Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change and this means that Europe can expect more record-breaking heatwaves in the future," Len Shaffrey, a climate scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, told Mashable during June's heat wave.

Boosted global temperatures have at least doubled the probability of heat extremes in Europe, similar to last summer's scorching events, Shaffrey added.

Over the last 100 years, Europe has experienced an increase in heat waves. Since 1500 AD, the region's five hottest summers have occurred in 2018, 2016, 2010, 2003, and 2002.

European warming is right in line with the overall warming trend seen around the globe: Since 2001,18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record.

June 2019 rounded out as the warmest June in 139 years of record keeping. July could soon follow in its footsteps, meaning this July is in the running to be the hottest month ever recorded.

UPDATE: July 24, 2019, 3:44 p.m. EDT: This story was updated to include Germany's temperature record.
Amid a continental heat wave, France records its highest ever temperature of 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) in Gallargues-le-Montueux.