Western Europe is baking under a punishing heatwave, and forecasters say the worst may still be ahead as temperatures climb in the coming days — a trajectory that could topple more records.
France is among the countries feeling the sharpest impact, with hundreds of schools adjusting timetables in an effort to cope with the searing conditions.
Weather forecasters warned of an “intense and long-lasting” heatwave, with the Paris region at risk of exceeding 40C for the first time on a June day.
More than half of the country is estimated to be enduring the heat.
About 41 million of France’s 69 million residents are covered by an orange heat alert — the second-highest category — issued by the national weather office, according to a calculation using population figures from the national statistics agency.
The forecaster urged people to be “very cautious”, describing conditions as “widespread, prolonged and intense”.
Children cool off in the French city of Nice
President Emmanuel Macron appealed for “great vigilance” and urged people to look out for “the oldest, the most vulnerable”.
Health Minister Stephanie Rist also issued a pointed reminder to younger people to be “really careful with alcohol and physical activity” as France prepares for its annual “La Fete de la Musique” on Sunday — the nationwide music festival when millions typically take to the streets to dance across the country.
The heat arrives after France recorded its hottest spring since measurements began in 1900, with the nationwide average temperature from March to May running about 1.7C above the norm.
Elsewhere across the continent, authorities are stepping up alerts as extreme weather spreads.
German forecasters said parts of the country should brace for thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain over the weekend.
Meteorologists confirmed that England and Wales have already logged their hottest spring on record, even as Britain is not expected to face temperatures as fierce as those on the continent.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying these kinds of extremes, with bouts of extreme heat, droughts and floods becoming more frequent and more severe.
A man seeks relief from the heat in the German capital, Berlin
This is the second heatwave of the year for tens of millions of people in Western Europe.
Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain have all increased alert levels for the days ahead, and some cities in northern and central Italy have done the same.
The UK’s Met Office said there is a 40% chance the record temperature for a June day — set in 1976 — could be surpassed.
Spain’s civil protection agency warned that a long stretch of extreme heat is expected to grip most of the country, including the Balearic Islands, from Sunday and through much of next week.
As climate change advances, “we’re seeing more extremes of temperatures, we’re breaking records more frequently”, said Alex Deakin of the UK Met Office.
“When you get hot spells, they’re that much hotter. And when you get rainy spells, they’re that much rainier,” he said.
