Cooler temperatures coming to Europe after scorching heatwave
Paris hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, but the high will drop to 35C on Wednesday and to 28C on Thursday, Météo-France forecast.
"Our latest forecasts confirm the arrival of cooling from the west on Wednesday, which will quickly affect the northwest of the country," Météo-France said, adding that there could be heavy thunderstorms late Wednesday and Thursday in the east along the German border.
Germany 's national weather service is forecasting a peak of 40C on Wednesday in the economic capital Frankfurt, but that will plummet to 27C by Thursday.
Spain and Italy, meanwhile, may have to wait for the weekend to see some limited relief.
On Tuesday, around 2,200 schools were shut in France because of the heat, but only about 135 are expected to be kept closed Wednesday, the education ministry said.
Météo-France said June 30 was the hottest June day since measurements began in 1947, beating out a record set in 2019.
Similar records were set Tuesday in Portugal and the Netherlands.
"For the continent as a whole, the month is likely to be ranked among the top 5 warmest Junes on record," said the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
On Sunday, in a case of two extremes, the Mediterranean Sea hit a record-high temperature for June while Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, went above freezing, a rarity for this time of year.
In Turkey, forest fires that broke out over the weekend around Izmir in the west and Hatay in the south were largely brought under control, authorities said Tuesday evening, though they warned about continued risks from dry, hot winds.
'Silent killer'
Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a "silent killer".
On Tuesday, police in Spain said a two-year-old died in the country's northeast after being left in a car in the sun for several hours.
"Due to climate change caused by humans, extreme heat is becoming more frequent and intense. This is something we must learn to live with," said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency based in Geneva.
Extreme heat can cause dehydration, muscle cramps, headaches and nausea. The most serious risk is heatstroke, which can lead to death, especially in vulnerable people. Free guided tours of air-conditioned museums in Venice and free access to swimming pools in Rome were offered to protect seniors.
According to a report by Allianz Trade on Tuesday, the European economy could lose 0.5 percentage points of growth this year due to recent heatwaves.
The health impact will take longer to assess. According to France's Ministry of Health, an initial estimate of excess mortality during the period will be available approximately two weeks after the end of the heatwave, but detailed data based on medical data will not be available until the fall.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Western Balkans face drought and water restrictions amid heatwave
The Western Balkan region is facing a severe drought, as a heatwave spreading across Europe, caused by an African anticyclone, continues to disrupt daily life and create issues with agriculture and electricity. Temperatures in central Albania reached 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday, and meteorologists warned that there would be a lack of rain until September. Rivers in the country are already almost dry due to low rainfall during winter and spring. The soaring temperatures have pushed Albanian authorities to assist local agriculture with irrigation networks. A project to divert water from the northern Mat river to irrigate around 40 square kilometres of agricultural land in the area was completed on Tuesday. There has also been a negative impact on Albania's power production, which primarily comes from the country's hydropower stations in the north. The national power corporation spent up to €60 million to import energy in the first half of this year. Serbia's state meteorological institute has warned that "extreme drought" is affecting the country's crops, while water levels in rivers and lakes have dropped. Small towns and villages throughout the country also face restrictions on drinking water. In Kosovo, a water shortage closed an open-air pool in the capital Pristina used by people to cool off in the summer heat. The Gërmia swimming pool, located on the city's outskirts and part of a regional park, was built in the late 1980s as a recreational destination and is considered one of the largest on the continent. At this time last year the pool had between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors daily. Gërmia Park, renowned for its natural beauty, is situated among hills and mountains that provide the pool with its natural water resources. But this year, the pool's staff could not provide the 20,000 cubic meters of water needed for its proper functioning. In previous years, it took six days to fill the pool, but this year it will take more than three weeks because of the drought, manager Bardh Krasniqi said. "Due to the strong heatwave that is currently affecting the country and also the region, unfortunately we have not been able to open the largest pool in the country," Krasniqi said. As the temperature was expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the Health Institute urged people to stay out of direct sunlight and warned children, the elderly, and anyone who was ill to stay at home. During the past week's heatwave in Europe, scorching temperatures reached as high as 46.6 degrees Celsius in Portugal's Mora. Wildfires are also more frequent in the region during the hotter, drier summers.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Wildfires in eastern Germany injure firefighters and force evacuations
At least two firefighters have been seriously injured and more than 100 residents evacuated as wildfires continue to burn in eastern Germany. Nearly 500 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blazes that broke out on Tuesday in Gohrischheide on the border between the eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg. One female and one male firefighter suffered burns during the firefighting operation. The fires have ripped through hundreds of square kilometres and by Thursday had still not been brought under control. A state police helicopter equipped with special cameras to detect pockets of embers is being used, the German news agency dpa reported. Firefighters were having difficulty getting close to the flames because parts of the wildfires are on a former military training area where there is a risk that ammunition stored there could detonate. The villages of Heidehäuser and Neudorf and parts of the village of Lichtensee have been evacuated. Residents received mobile phone alerts directing them to only take essentials, especially identification and cash. The notice advised them to inform neighbours and "cover your mouth and nose with improvised respiratory protection (cloth, piece of clothing, surgical mask)." District officials called on people travelling by car to avoid the region. An African anticyclone is sweeping across Europe, leading to record temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius in some countries. That severe heat has led to several wildfires across the continent.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Hundreds evacuated as Greece wildfire rages on Crete
Greece is sweltering in a heatwave that is searing much of southern Europe. The country has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to summer wildfires, which are fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Local media said around 1,500 people had to be evacuated because of the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday evening. "Evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra," vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told TV channel Mega, referring to the holiday town in the southeast. He said the authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight. "At the moment, there are three active fronts," Androulakis said. "Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly." Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service. They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens. "There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops," he said. "The winds are very strong -- up to nine on the Beaufort scale." - Uneven, arid terrain - Crete, Greece's largest island, has an arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, making it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze. The fire has damaged both houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, local media said. Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra –- a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 -- takes in thousands of tourists in the summer. Vathrakoyannis said the authorities would assess the extent of the damage once the fire had been brought under control. He stressed the risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece. Until now, Greece had been more or less spared the heatwave that has gripped other parts of southern Europe. The country recorded its hottest ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares were torched, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record. Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during a series of prolonged heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).
