The searing heat has scorched temperature records across Europe this week, with the continent experiencing one of the most intense and dangerous heatwaves in recent memory
As Brits continue to grapple with the intense heat, tens of millions in other parts of Europe are battling temperatures almost 10C hotter.
France and Spain have been the hardest hit by the latest heatwave, with hundreds of deaths already reported. France recorded its hottest day ever yesterday, with Spain reaching its highest daily average since 1950 as the heat dome brings dangerous conditions to swaths of the continent.
Record-breaking temperatures had significant impacts in several countries, with the roasting conditions linked to the deaths of 213 across Spain between Monday and Wednesday this week.
In France, more than 50 people were confirmed dead after the nation recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago. At least three quarters of the fatalities are from drowning, as people attempt to cool off after battling the crippling 44C heat.
A tragic three-year-old was yesterday found dead in a car in Paris; the third child to die in similar circumstances this week. The boy slipped into the family car while his father thought he was napping inside. Heartbreakingly, the infant was unable to get out with the child-lock activated vehicle.
Four people died in Italy on Wednesday, with authorities placing 17 cities under the highest-level heat alert. The fatalities included a homeless person in Naples, two farmers in the northern provinces of Lodi and Piacenza, and a man in the Lombardy region.
In Germany, a 23-year-old man drowned in a lake near Rheinstetten. Three other people are missing after swimming in the Rhine River, police have said.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said the French capital is experiencing an “increase in mortality” due to the overwhelming temperatures.
“The profile of people currently facing health risks is not necessarily what one might expect,” he told broadcaster TF1. “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.”
The Met Office extended the UK’s red extreme heat warning into Friday with up to 38C again expected in the south of England.
“The exceptional spell of hot and humid weather will continue across this region, with impacts to the general population highly likely,” it said.
“The heatwave which is affecting a large part of England and Wales is set to continue during Friday. The focus of the highest temperatures on Friday is likely to shift towards east and southeastern England, where maximum temperatures in the shade could exceed 36 Celsius, perhaps rising to 38 Celsius in some places.
“However, following another very warm night, the greatest likelihood of high impacts are expect to be within this Red warning area during Friday.
“The heat will be accompanied by high humidity, exacerbating the potential for discomfort and health impacts, with very warm and humid night times also reducing the ability for people to recover overnight. Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to make precautions and adapt their daily routines where possible to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the UK.”
The initial red warning will still end tonight in all other targeted areas, including those in Wales, the Midlands and South West England. An amber warning for extreme heat will then come into force on Saturday, with temperatures exceeding 30C and peaking at 32-34C in London and East Anglia. A total of 31 areas will be affected by this.
More than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organisation’s Europe office said this month.
