A heatwave hit much of Europe recently, with the result that 40 people had drowned in France over the past few days trying to cool down from the record heat, the prime minister said on 23rd June.

Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain were also experiencing very hot weather, with some areas seeing record temperatures that led to school and transport closures and the cancellation of many tourist events, such as the Eiffel Tower.

The World Meteorological Organisation reports that extreme heat waves like these become more common in Europe, where temperatures are rising at more than twice the global rate.

France: Heat Alert!

Much of western and central France is expected to see temperatures of about 40 °C, and even as high as 43 °C, according to Meteo France. The afternoon and evening were the hottest of the year, since records began in 1947.

The forecaster said that 54 departments are in red alert, an unprecedented situation. It will go up to 58 on Wednesday, then four more departments in northern France will be added.

Thursday will again be a hot day with temperatures still measured at the same temperature. A slight decrease will gradually start from the Atlantic coast on Friday, said Meteo France.

Nationally, individuals have been flocking to canals and rivers to cool down. Swimming is a desperate need to get away from the heat, but not in where it is not allowed or where it is unsafe to swim, sports minister Marina Ferrari said.

Most of the drownings have been young people, and the Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said this was also a “sad scourge” ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave.

Two children, aged 2 and 4, who were found both unconscious in the family car outside their home by their mother, were not revived on Monday by first responders, said a prosecutor in Carpentras, southeast France.

The heat wave is occurring under the weather pattern called an “Omega Block” because it resembles the Greek letter Ω, a bulge of hot air is stuck between cooler weather systems, and this hot air is allowed to continue to heat up day by day. Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change.

Current conditions are similar to what was seen during the August 2003 heatwave, which lasted 16 days and was thought to have resulted in 80,000 extra deaths in Europe, the Meteorological Office of France said. This episode can be physical and/or mental – it was not known how long it would last.

Storms become a part of the unpredictable weather system in Europe 

The health ministry in Italy gave its highest warning for 15 cities, and measures were taken to limit work in some areas. Stormy weather was forecast over the Alps and Apennines with strong winds, heavy rain and hail.

The heat is also gripping Britain, with the Met Office predicting highs of up to 37 °C in southern England on Tuesday – which could be a new June record – as temperatures continue to rise on Wednesday and Thursday. A number of schools announced early school dismissals.

Rail lines around Europe were strained, and some trains were cancelled or even run more slowly.

Climate Shelters

A red alert was in effect for some regions in Spain after the heat was expected to hit temperatures of up to 44 °C, with dozens of municipalities in the north having to cancel traditional bonfires because of wildfire risks.

Juan Carlos Arellano of Samur Social (Madrid’s homeless center) said that the shelters for homeless and other vulnerable people have been opened to “provide a climate-controlled environment, offer basic food, allow visitors to take a shower and give them a chance to rest for a while.

A primary school in Belgium had to move its final exams to a local church building due to extreme heat.

In Switzerland, the north-east canton of St. Gallen imposed measures to limit water abstraction from rivers and lakes due to their low water levels and high temperatures.

In cities where the heatwave was occurring, something was flying out of the windows: fans and air conditioners.

Filmmaker Victoria Yakubov, who was able to get a hold of a single fan still in a Paris store, said: “I came quickly, I haven’t even had my coffee this morning, I ran here to buy an electric fan”. Within 30 minutes, “everything was gone.”

In an effort to help people cope, more parks were open at night than usual.

On Monday evening, Julie Morin, her partner and a dog were watching the France-Iraq soccer World Cup match on their laptop in the French capital’s Buttes-Chaumont park, enjoying the cooler weather.

“We’re going to take a few hours to cool off,” said Morin, who leads educational workshops. 

“It’s a chance for us to get out there and I guess live a little better, opening the parks like this.”

While parts of Europe were enjoying the heat, the Eiffel Tower was closed at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), and cooler northern destinations were attracting some of the tourists in search of a “coolcation.”

German tourist Katharina Rexing said in the Old Town of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, that they were planning to travel to Croatia, but they ended up in Sweden because it’s cooler there, on a day when the temperature in the Swedish capital was at 22 °C, while in Croatia’s Zagreb it was 30 °C.