An unprecedented, historic heatwave has put the entire country under siege, causing a widespread health and infrastructure crisis. On Sunday, the mercury touched or exceeded 40°C in many areas as extreme weather events such as severe thunderstorms battered other parts of the continent.
In , authorities are on high alert as 1,000 additional deaths directly linked to the record breaking extreme heat wave have already been recorded.
The French public health agency announced that the majority of victims were elderly people. At the same time, he issued a dramatic warning that this number is expected to rise significantly in the coming period, as official figures for deaths in private homes and nursing homes are incorporated.
WHO: “Once-in-a-generation events now happen every year”
According to the scientific community, the current heat wave, which began on June 20, is the worst ever recorded in European history. Its effects extend far beyond human discomfort, having severely disrupted power generation, caused structural damage to infrastructure, and brought health systems to the brink of collapse.
“Right now, 150 million people are living in conditions of extreme heat, hundreds have lost their lives, schools are closed and power grids are collapsing,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus via the X platform.
The head of the Organization underlined that the phenomenon, which is driven by climate change and global warming, is no longer rare. “We were warned,” he emphasized, adding that buildings, schools and workplaces in Europe are proving to be completely unprepared for such conditions.
Experts point out that the occurrence of this heat wave would be “almost impossible” without human intervention in the climate. Tellingly, because of the climate crisis, this week’s unusually high nighttime temperatures are now 100 times more likely than they were just two decades ago.
Transport paralysis and energy shock
The temperature broke all historical records in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. In Germany, rail transport was hit hard, with services canceled or curtailed on a central artery in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, while in the eastern city of Leipzig trams were shut down altogether. According to local media, the streets of the cities were deserted, with citizens remaining locked in their homes until sunset. In Rome, Pope Leo expressed his gratitude to the faithful who braved stifling conditions to attend Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square.
At the same time, Europe’s great rivers are drying up. The drop in water levels and the parallel increase in their temperature cause chain problems in agriculture and energy.
- Hungary: The Paks nuclear power plant was forced to reduce output on Sunday as the Danube water used to cool the plant was too hot.
- Italy: A dramatic reduction in the flow of the Po River has allowed seawater to seep up to 18 kilometers inland, directly threatening crops and protected wetlands in the delta.
At the same time, the authorities are recording dozens of drownings of citizens who desperately sought a breath of fresh air in seas and lakes. In Italy, rescuers are carrying out overnight searches in Lake Vico, 70 kilometers from Rome, to locate the husband of minister Eugenia Rocella, who has been missing since Saturday while swimming.
Displacement of the phenomenon and persistence of effects
In central Europe, Czech authorities urged people to avoid physical exertion and issued an emergency smog warning due to dangerously high levels of ground-level ozone.
According to meteorologists, the heat wave is expected to gradually subside over the next few days in Western Europe as it moves east towards Central Europe and the Balkans. The change in weather, however, will be accompanied by severe storms in France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
In France, although the temperature has started to drop in most parts, the northeastern regions remain on red alert. The country’s Minister of Health, Stephanie Rist, speaking to the newspaper “La Tribune” and the BFM network, warned that “the phenomenon is not over”. As he explained, the effects of extreme heat on the health of the population may continue to manifest for up to 10 days after the temperature drops.
Finally, the storms that hit France on Saturday night, while offering a little relief, caused massive damage to the power grid. According to an official information from the company Enedis on Sunday afternoon, 36,000 households in the northern and central part of the country remained without electricity.
