The state of alert remains, as the unprecedented that affects a large part of it continues to cause serious disruptions in everyday life and intense pressure on the health system. Two-thirds of the country is on high alert, while more than 51 million citizens have been exposed to extreme high temperatures.
The dead are increasing despite the measures
The number of people who drowned trying to cool off has risen to 55, according to French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari, who warned the toll could rise further. Most sought relief from the heat by swimming, often in dangerous or unsupervised areas.
At the same time, three young children lost their lives in two separate incidents, when they were left by their parents or guardians in cars.
In this context, the hospitals of Paris are accepting more and more patients who present health problems due to the heat. “We are only at the beginning of an increase in admissions to emergency departments,” said Health Secretary Stephanie Rist, warning that the situation is expected to worsen.
The authorities have taken extraordinary measures to protect citizens. A ban on the consumption of alcohol in public places in Paris came into effect at noon on Thursday, which remains in force today, Friday. The head of the French capital’s police, Patrice Faure, explained that drinking alcohol at such high temperatures can have devastating health consequences.
The temperature breaks one record after another
Temperatures in Paris remain at unprecedented levels. On Wednesday, the French capital set a new June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius, while on Thursday the temperature again touched 40 degrees in Montsoury Park. In many areas of France, nighttime temperatures have not dropped below 20 degrees for more than a week, with some areas even recording minimum temperatures close to 30 degrees, depriving the human body of the opportunity to recover from the day’s exertions.
The French government has drawn up a plan to deal with extreme temperatures after the deadly heatwave of 2003, when almost 15,000 people died. This time, of particular concern is the behavior of people aged 50 to 70, who, despite being healthy and active, continue their daily activities as if it were a normal summer season. The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, called on citizens to protect themselves, stressing that the dangers of the heat wave are not limited to the elderly.
The effects are also evident in education. Education Minister Edouard Geoffre announced that 13,500 schools remained closed or operated with a special program due to the extreme heat. The effects on French agricultural production are also significant, as the Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the heat wave will reduce the production of cereals, livestock and poultry products, as well as fruit and vegetables, especially outdoor crops such as carrots, which is expected to lead to price increases.
Event cancellations
The heatwave has also caused major upheavals in public events. The planned Pride March in Paris has been postponed until September following an order from police, who warned that holding it would further strain the city’s emergency services and hospitals. The postponement was announced by the organizers via social media.
A similar directive was issued for the Solidays music festival, which was eventually cancelled, as well as an international track and field event at the Charleti Stadium, whose organizers are considering adjustments due to the high temperatures.
“Abnormal” measurements in several large European countries as well
At the same time, the heat wave is also affecting other European countries. Britain recorded its hottest June on record, with the mercury reaching 36.7C in south-west England. The Met Office issued its first red heat warning for the third day in a row, while more than 1,000 schools were closed or partially closed as temperatures in some classrooms exceeded 40 degrees.
A record for the month of June was also set in Switzerland, where the temperature reached 38 degrees in Basel, while particularly difficult days are still expected in Germany, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic.
In Germany, more than 20 people have died in swimming-related accidents since the start of the heatwave, while five heat-related deaths were reported in Italy. According to estimates by the trade union CGIL and Greenpeace Italy, up to 1.5 million workers, including builders, farmers and distributors, are at risk from heat exposure. Several regions have already banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day, while the government has announced financial support for businesses forced to temporarily shut down.
The heatwave has caused major upheavals in public events in other European countries as well. In Belgium, organizers canceled the weekend’s planned re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo, the historic 1815 conflict that led to the final defeat and exile of Napoleon Bonaparte. The event, which takes place every June on the battlefields outside Brussels and attracts thousands of visitors, was canceled due to extreme temperatures, organizers and local authorities said.
In addition, the heat caused serious problems in the “heart” of the EU, as the main building of the European Commission, the famous Belraymond, had to stop the operation of the air conditioning system on Friday, due to the extreme temperatures.
Workers received an emergency message at noon, which read: “BERL — URGENT — Due to extreme weather conditions, forced shutdown of cooling system from 1st to 7th floor for the remainder of the day.”
The 13-storey building houses the President of the Commission, Ursula von de Leyen, the 26 commissioners and around 3,000 staff. The president works on the 13th floor, while most of the commissioners’ offices are on the 8th floor and up. Employees described the situation as “unacceptable”, citing uneven conditions between floors, while in some offices the temperature exceeded 25°C, despite the partial operation of the cooling system.
Despite the partial operation of the cooling system, temperatures in the workplaces remained particularly high, highlighting the effects of the heat wave even in central European institutions.
Omega inhibitor and anthropogenic climate change
According to scientists, the extreme heat is due to a meteorological phenomenon known as the ‘Omega Blocker’, which traps warm air masses over Europe, raising temperatures up to 18 degrees above normal levels for the season.
At the same time, a team of World Weather Attribution scientists concluded that this particular heat wave would have been almost impossible to happen without human-caused climate change. The analysis says this is the strongest heatwave ever recorded in the region, with extremely hot night-time temperatures now a hundred times more likely than two decades ago.
Scientists point out that Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world and warn that as long as greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas continue, extreme heat waves will become more frequent and intense. In fact, the analysis shows that a corresponding heat wave in 1976 would have been around 3.5 degrees Celsius cooler, while almost half of the more than 800 European cities examined are recording or expected to record historically high levels of heat stress for the end of June.
