The meteorological phenomenon, known as a “heat dome”, occurs when a mass of hot air from North Africa becomes trapped under a high pressure system over Western Europe.
“It’s a bit worrying because it’s not normal for this time of year, but unfortunately I think this will become the norm in France,” Chloe Voisin, a 22-year-old student, told the news agency AFP in the city of Bordeaux, in the southwest of the country.
Monday was the hottest May day on record in both the UK and France, and French meteorological agency Météo-France predicts that Tuesday will be even hotter.
French authorities reported at least seven heat wave-related deaths, five of them from drowning, as many people flocked to beaches to cool off, although lifeguards will not return to work until July in many areas.
“There have been seven deaths directly or indirectly related to the heat,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told the broadcaster TF1 this Tuesday.
Scientists say that human-caused climate change is intensifying extreme weather phenomena and that heat waves, droughts and floods are becoming more intense and frequent.
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The UK Meteorological Service (Met Office) said temperatures peaked at 34.8°C in Kew Gardens, southwest of London, on Monday, two degrees above the previous record.
New normal?
The Met Office has predicted a drop in temperatures later in the week. According to one of the agency’s meteorologists, Greg Dewhurst, the increase in extreme temperatures is “a good indicator of climate change in action” and will likely become “the new normal”.
In Ireland, two meteorological stations recorded a record temperature of 28.8°C in May, according to data from the meteorological agency (Met Éireann).
In Paris, tennis fans faced temperatures of 33°C at the Roland Garros tournament, and players had to compete in scorching heat. Météo-France has indicated that this heat wave will likely last at least until the end of the week.
In Spain, the meteorological agency (Aemet) also warned of “extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year”, which will persist throughout the country throughout the week, except in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Furthermore, it warned of “tropical nights” – when the temperature does not drop below 20°C – in southwestern Spain from Wednesday onwards, with maximum temperatures between 36°C and 38°C from Wednesday to Friday, according to what was published on the X network.
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Europe is the continent that has experienced the fastest warming since 1990, followed closely by Asia, with North America in third place, according to data from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
