Thirteen people drowned in France on Sunday and overnight into Monday as people sought relief from the heat, a spokesperson for the Civil Safety service said, and three elderly people died as a result of the extreme temperatures in the country. The deaths came as thousands of schools in France closed or modified timetables and European authorities issued heatwave warnings, with forecasters in Britain predicting temperatures could smash records for June this week.
Record-breaking heat forecast in France
Temperatures in Bordeaux in southwestern France were forecast to exceed 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday and weather agency Meteo France said 49 regional administrative areas would be under a red heatwave warning. "We're heading for, at the very least, several days of very, very hot weather. We don't know when temperatures will start falling," French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on TV channel TF1. French Civil Safety service spokesperson Jerome Boulanger told broadcaster RMC people should swim only where safe to do so.
Europe warming faster than global average
An April report by the World Meteorological Organization found Europe is warming at more than double the global rate. According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, Europe on Monday was the continent furthest from its historic norm, with temperatures forecast to reach an average 24C, 4.1C above what was typical from 1961-1990.
UK braces for record June heat
The Met Office, Britain's national weather forecaster, said on Monday that a four-day heatwave there could push temperatures above 39C in some places, easily breaking the June record of 35.6C set in 1957 and 1976. "I think UK heat is something different to the rest of the world. So 36 degrees is going to be disgusting," said data scientist Lewis Jennings, out walking in central London.
