Europe buckled under the heat of more than 40°C

French officials on June 22 issued a level one warning for 49 provinces and called on 35 million people to “exercise absolute vigilance”, drink water regularly, avoid all strenuous activities as well as avoid direct sunlight because the heat wave can be life-threatening.

Another 40 provinces were placed on level 2 orange alert. The French national meteorological agency warned that “very high temperatures are maintaining for a long time across the country. Daytime and nighttime temperatures will be at particularly severe levels”.

The agency said temperatures across western and central France were likely to exceed 40°C from this afternoon, hitting 43°C in Bordeaux, 41°C in Limoges, 40°C in Toulouse and Tours and 39°C in Paris and would continue to rise through the weekend.

Nighttime minimum temperatures are also forecast to be well above normal for the season until at least June 26. The minimum temperature recorded in several towns and cities on the night of June 21 set an all-time high.

The weather forecast agency said France’s national heat index could hit its highest level ever on June 22 or June 23.

“Many people will be affected because it is difficult for the body to cope with prolonged, intense heat,” French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said when visiting a hospital in Paris today. She also urged people to pay attention to elderly neighbors and vulnerable people.

In the Gironde region of southwestern France, local officials said 3 people died on June 21 due to a cause partly related to the heat. Rescuers said 10 people drowned due to accidents while going to rivers and lakes to cool off.

More than 800 schools nationwide closed on June 22, while 1,800 other schools adjusted school hours so students could leave early. One in 10 trains around Paris were canceled due to concerns about high temperatures affecting the tracks and carriages.

Spain has announced its first heat wave of the year lasting from June 21 to June 24, with temperatures forecast to reach 44°C in some areas.

National meteorological agency Aemet warned of “unusually high” daytime and nighttime temperatures this summer. “Temperatures will begin to decrease on June 25, but the weather will still be extremely hot,” the agency added.

In Germany, the organizers of the Berlin Open tennis tournament had to postpone the final match and evacuate all people present at the competition venue due to severe thunderstorms, when temperatures in the capital exceeded 30°C over the weekend.

Temperatures in Belgium, which exceeded 30°C on June 21, will “reach their highest level ever”, said David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM Meteorological Institute. Some rush hour trains have been canceled to limit the risk of problems.

In the UK, the meteorological agency has issued a warning of “extreme heat” for much of the south of the country and some parts of Wales from June 22 to June 25, with temperatures forecast to reach 38°C. The record temperature for a day in June is currently 35.6°C, recorded in 1976.

Scientists say that as the Earth continues to warm, extreme heat waves, which previously only appeared in mid-summer, will occur more frequently, be more intense and last longer right from the beginning of the season.