A deadly European heatwave that has overwhelmed hospitals with record-high temperatures is shifting eastward on Friday, bringing more misery to a continent unaccustomed to prolonged extreme heat. At least 101 million Europeans have endured several days of temperatures exceeding 35°C, with hundreds of deaths reported, including children, many from drowning while seeking relief from the heat.
Climate Change Blamed for Record-Breaking Heat
A study released Friday concluded that climate change is "unequivocally" responsible for the heatwave that broke records in Britain, France, Spain, and Switzerland. The Netherlands issued its first-ever red alert for heat. Scientists from Europe, the United States, and Britain stated that such exceptional temperatures in June would have been "virtually impossible" 50 years ago, and a similar heatwave would have been 3.5°C cooler in June 1976.
Hospitals Under Pressure
French and British health services reported a surge in emergency calls and visits, particularly affecting the elderly and ill. Paris police chief Patrice Faure said, "We are reaching a saturation point in hospital facilities. The number of hospitalizations keeps increasing." France saw a fourfold increase in emergency room visits for heat-related issues and a rise in cardiac arrests. London Ambulance Service reported that Wednesday's extreme heat led to the highest number of life-threatening emergency calls in a single day.
Authorities Take Action
With French hospitals overwhelmed, authorities banned evening alcohol sales and public consumption in Paris starting Friday and through the weekend, a rarely used step. In Germany, where temperatures were expected to hit 40°C over the weekend, several outdoor events were canceled, and rail operators advised against travel.
Heatwave Deaths
A three-year-old boy was found dead in a car in the Paris suburbs, where temperatures topped 40°C on Wednesday. At least 40 people, many young, have drowned in France due to the heatwave, according to the government. In Spain, the MoMo mortality monitoring system linked 212 deaths between Sunday and Wednesday to the heat. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported five deaths, including two farmworkers and a builder.
Heat Dome Phenomenon
Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, explained that the hot weather is due to a "heat dome" of trapped air from north Africa in a low-lying high-pressure system, preventing cooler air from moving in. UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the heatwave "has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it," adding that "until humanity stops burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, extreme heat will keep getting worse."
Adapting to the New Normal
Polly Turton, head of climate action at NGO Shade the UK, described the situation as "the new normal. The sleepless nights we're all experiencing, we are going to have to adapt to. At the moment, we are not a well-adapted UK by any means." AFP calculations based on forecasts from the German weather service and 2025 population projections indicated that over 380 million people would face temperatures above 30°C.
