AFP, PARIS
Much of Europe was preparing yesterday for an already fierce heat wave to intensify even further in the coming days, with some countries taking special measures to mitigate its effects. France recorded heat-related deaths over the weekend. A leading researcher reiterated that human-driven climate change had contributed to the recent record-breaking heatwave. In France, 49 of the country’s 96 mainland departments were on a red alert weather warning, up from 35 over the weekend.
People sunbathe on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris on Saturday as France experiences a heat wave.
Officials announced the closure of 845 schools yesterday with another 1,800 set to let students leave earlier than normal. On Sunday, several towns had canceled an annual music festival, and the government banned alcohol consumption in public places on health and public order grounds in departments already under the weather red alert.
Some parts of France recorded temperatures past 40°C — extreme for June. In the southwest Gironde region, local officials said the deaths of three people, aged 80 to 95, were in part due to the intense heat. French forecasters said the current heatwave could end up being as serious as the one in August 2003 that claimed the lives of about 15,000 in France. France and Belgium announced cuts to their rail services: in France, mainly commuter lines in and around Paris. Belgian national rail company SNCB announced that some rush hour trains had been canceled for yesterday and today to reduce the risk of breakdowns blocking the tracks. Temperatures in Belgium are expected to be “the hottest ever recorded” there this week, Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute forecaster David Dehenauw said. French Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature Mathieu Lefevre said the heat wave was “particularly intense and particularly early.” Last month, several European countries reported record temperatures for that time of year. Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the University of Reading’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science, in England, said it was clear what was behind the rash of heat records. “Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past,” he said. Spain’s weather service Aemet on Sunday warned of “extremely high” temperatures for the season, day and night, until Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to reach 44°C in some areas. “Temperatures will drop Thursday, but the heat will remain intense,” it added.
