The temperature in Britain hit a record high for June on Thursday as large parts of Western Europe were in the grip of a deadly early summer heatwave that has killed dozens, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.
French and British authorities warned busy people to adapt their daily routines to avoid the risk of over-heating.
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"We are just at the start of seeing an increase in people going to emergency wards," French health minister Stephanie Rist told a news conference.
PARIS SWELTERS, BRITAIN HITS RECORD HIGH
Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. The peak on Thursday was just under 40 C at Parc Montsouris in the south of the city.
Temperatures reached 36.4 C in southwest England on Thursday, provisionally making it the hottest June day recorded in Britain, surpassing a record set just a day earlier, the Met Office said.
The Met Office extended a red heat alert into Friday for a large area of southern England, the first time such warnings have been issued for three days in a row. A similar warning was issued for the Netherlands for Friday.
“Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to adapt their daily routines to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the UK," said Andy Page, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office.
Germany, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic face a torrid few days as temperatures are forecast to soar further east and south.
DROWNING DEATHS IN FRANCE AND GERMANY
France implemented a number of measures against heatwaves after one in 2003 caused nearly 15,000 excess deaths, with the elderly the hardest hit.
This time around, active younger people were a big concern, Emmanuel Gregoire, the mayor of Paris, said.
"Rather, it’s people aged between 50 and 70 who are generally in good health, but who think this is just a normal period and continue going about their usual activities as if nothing has changed. Really, protect yourselves," he told broadcaster TF1.
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the start of the heatwave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and three young children are known to have been killed by heat in cars in two separate incidents.
Since the end of last week, more than 20 people across Germany have lost their lives in swimming-related accidents, the German Life Saving Association said in a statement to Reuters.
IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE, WORKING LIFE
The heatwave will reduce output across many French agricultural sectors, including cereals, livestock — especially poultry — and fruit and vegetables, particularly field-grown crops such as carrots, agriculture ministry officials told reporters. For crops that suffer significant damage, prices are likely to rise, they said.
The heat, expected to peak over the next three days, could endanger the health of up to 1.5 million Italian workers including builders, farmers and couriers, according to estimates by the Italian CGIL trade union and Greenpeace Italy.
Italian media had previously reported that five people died on Wednesday from heat-related incidents.
Several Italian regions have banned outdoor work during the hottest times of the day, and the government this week said firms forced to pause work due to the heat could access funds for furloughed staff.
'OMEGA BLOCK' BLAMED
The heatwave is being driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, pushing temperatures as much as 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in heat over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes. Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change.
"Europe’s savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it – it's the latest price to pay for fossil fuel pollution baking our planet," U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said.
"Schools closing, the vulnerable dying, economies sweating: this is what the climate crisis looks like in practice, and it's just getting started," he added.
Air conditioning remains relatively rare in Europe, but Asian makers of air conditioners, such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), China's Midea and Japan's Mitsubishi Electric (6503.T), are enjoying a boom in sales, with strong demand from countries such as France, Spain and Italy.
SCHOOL CHILDREN, TEACHERS SUFFER IN THE HEAT
French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said that 13,500 schools were closed or placed on special schedules on Thursday.
More than 1,000 schools closed or were partially closed in Britain as the temperature in some classrooms climbed to over 40 C, and authorities worry about extreme heat on treeless playgrounds, with the end of term still a few weeks away for many.
U.S. tourist Keaghan Cronin, playing with her children in sprinklers in Paris, said that was a nice spot, but it was just too hot.
"They're (children) very uncomfortable. We are actually going to leave a little early, because it's too hot, we're going to leave Paris early," she said.
