Eiffel Tower's summit closes to visitors as Europe swelters in heatwave
The abnormally hot weather 'is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress' with temperatures more typical of July and August, said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Barcelona's Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 26C, breaking records since the data began in 1914.
Italy has also seen soaring temperatures (AP)
It said a single-day high of 37.9C for June was recorded on Monday. Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean.
Ramon Pascual, a delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told the Associated Press the 'very intense heatwave' is clearly linked to global warming.
Mr Pascual said inhabitants of the Mediterranean region are not being helped by the rising sea temperatures, which greatly reduce any cooling effects of a nearby body of water.
Spain's weather service said recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are 5-6C higher than average.
Spain's national average for June of 23.6Celsius was 0.8C hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017.
Madrid was forecast to reach 39C.
People visit a public pool in Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst/AP)
Temperatures were forecast to reach 40C in the French capital Paris. National weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were partially or fully closed.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit was closed until Thursday for 'everyone's comfort and safety'.
Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date, with temperatures exceeding 40C expected every year by 2100.
Italy's health ministry said 17 of the country's 27 major cities were experiencing a heatwave.
In Florence, where temperatures reached 38C on Tuesday, parts of the city centre experienced a blackout following a surge in electricity demand. Back-up systems restored power, energy company Enel said.
Parts of Europe including Switzerland have seen above-average temperatures (AP)
Near Bologna, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school car park, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted but heat was suspected.
In the Dutch town of Soest, first responders said they were bringing a fire hose to an evening water gun fight.
'Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you're guaranteed to get soaked!' the firefighters said on social media.
In Portugal, the weather service in a statement on Monday night confirmed the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6C on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon.
Firefighters across Turkey tried to contain wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents for the third consecutive day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Latest toll shows 14 children among 32 dead in Texas flooding
The storm killed at least 32 people, including 14 children. The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. 'We will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,' Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people had been recovered so far: 18 adults and 14 children. Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. A lorry rests on a tree outside sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area (Julio Cortex/AP) The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning. Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' A raging storm fuelled by incredible amounts of moisture woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said. A sheriff's deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup vehicle tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall. Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was staying at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw', said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Mr Rice said. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist. One reunification centre at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. 'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was travelling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground. 'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Mr Trump said in a statement on his social media network. In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' she said. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and nine-year-old grandson. 'I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,' he said. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' said Austin Dickson, chief executive of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. 'It rushes down the hill.' People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area. 'Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we're not exactly sure where it's going to land,' Mr Patrick said. 'Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that's when the storm started to zero in.' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: 'We do not have a warning system.' When pushed on why more precautions were not taken, Mr Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming. The slow-moving storm is bringing more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service. The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Latest toll shows 14 children among 32 dead in Texas flooding
The storm killed at least 32 people, including 14 children. The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. 'We will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,' Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people had been recovered so far: 18 adults and 14 children. Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. A lorry rests on a tree outside sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area (Julio Cortex/AP) The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning. Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' A raging storm fuelled by incredible amounts of moisture woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said. A sheriff's deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup vehicle tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall. Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was staying at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw', said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Mr Rice said. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist. One reunification centre at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. 'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was travelling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground. 'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Mr Trump said in a statement on his social media network. In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' she said. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and nine-year-old grandson. 'I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,' he said. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' said Austin Dickson, chief executive of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. 'It rushes down the hill.' People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area. 'Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we're not exactly sure where it's going to land,' Mr Patrick said. 'Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that's when the storm started to zero in.' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: 'We do not have a warning system.' When pushed on why more precautions were not taken, Mr Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming. The slow-moving storm is bringing more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service. The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Latest toll shows 14 children among 32 dead in Texas flooding
The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. 'We will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,' Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people had been recovered so far: 18 adults and 14 children. Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. A lorry rests on a tree outside sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area (Julio Cortex/AP) The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning. Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' A raging storm fuelled by incredible amounts of moisture woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said. A sheriff's deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup vehicle tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall. Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was staying at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw', said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Mr Rice said. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist. One reunification centre at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. 'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was travelling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground. 'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Mr Trump said in a statement on his social media network. In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' she said. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and nine-year-old grandson. 'I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,' he said. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' said Austin Dickson, chief executive of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. 'It rushes down the hill.' People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area. 'Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we're not exactly sure where it's going to land,' Mr Patrick said. 'Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that's when the storm started to zero in.' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: 'We do not have a warning system.' When pushed on why more precautions were not taken, Mr Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming. The slow-moving storm is bringing more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service. The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.
