Environment Desk, June 23 (EFE).- Temperatures soared on Tuesday as the summer’s first heatwave scorched Western Europe.
France saw its hottest day on Tuesday since records began in 1947, with a national average of 29.8 °C (85°F), according to Météo France, surpassing the previous records set on July 25, 2019, and August 5, 2003 (29.4 °C).
This unprecedented heatwave will continue until Friday, when a gradual drop in temperatures is expected to begin, starting along the Atlantic coast.
As of 5 pm local time on Tuesday, all-time records had been set in several cities in western France, including 43.3 °C (109.9°F) in Cazaux (Gironde), 42.2 °C (107.9°F) in Niort (Deux-Sèvres), 42.1 °C (107.9°F) in Bordeaux (Gironde), and 41.3 °C (106.3°F) in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine).
Although the figures are still preliminary, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated on Tuesday that since the heat wave began on Jun. 18, 40 people have died from heat-related causes.
