Paris/Madrid (Reuters)-More than 1,000 schools were closed in France on Tuesday and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was closed to tourists, according to a strong heat wave hit Europe, firing health alerts throughout the region.
The Mediterranean Sea was up to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than normal for the time of year, reaching a record of up to 30 ° C in the Balear Sea in Spain, as a heat summit trapped hot air above Europe, the country’s Aemet meteorological agency said.
Spanish authorities were investigating whether the death of a homemaker over the weekend in Barcelona was caused by the heat wave, and unions blamed the heat for death on Monday from a 47-year-old man in a construction site near Bologna.
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Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, heating twice the global average, according to the EU copernicus climate change service, causing extreme heat waves to occur earlier in the year and persist in later months.
In France, the heat should reach the peak on Tuesday, reaching 40-41 ° C in some areas and 36-39 ° C in most others, said Meteo France. Sixteen departments will be at the highest level of alert from noon, with 68 at the second highest level.
About 1,350 schools will be totally or partially closed due to heat, a significant increase over the approximately 200 on Monday, the Ministry of Education said. The top floor of the Eiffel Tower will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and visitors will be advised to drink plenty of water.
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The extreme heat has also increased the risk of fires in the fields, as farmers in France, the largest producer of European Union grain, begin to harvest this year’s crop.
Some farmers were working at night to avoid harvesting during maximum afternoon temperatures. In the Indre region, in the center of France, which has registered a series of fires since late June, authorities have banned work in the field between 14h and 18h.
Health alerts
Intense heat can impair biodiversity, according to some experts.
“In the past, we have seen impacts such as mass mortality of invertebrate species, death of sea herbal beds, and moving outbreaks. We are likely to see similar impacts with this event,” said Marine Biological Association Scientist Kathryn Smith.
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Health alerts were issued throughout Europe, with residents and tourists seeking ways to cool off.
Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people a year around the world, according to Swiss Re, which notes that this exceeds the combined number of floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.
(Additional report by Kate Abnett, Gus Trompiz, Rachel More)
