(Photo: Georgios Kostomitsopoulos / Nurphoto / AFP)
Weather forecasters in Europe warned of extraordinary heat on Tuesday as record temperatures soared well above seasonal temperatures across the continent.
On Monday, according to its weather service, France recorded its hottest day yet in May, while the United Kingdom (UK) also experienced unprecedented temperatures.
A heat wave from North Africa trapped under a high pressure system over Western Europe is behind the temperatures that usually only occur towards the middle of the European summer.
Restrictions on outdoor work have been imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in south-west France have been crowded earlier than usual and farmers are reporting crops ripening faster as temperatures rise above 30°C across the region.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is fueling record temperatures, with Europe warming faster than the global average and heat waves becoming more frequent and severe.
Temperatures in Spain were expected to reach 38 °C later this week.
In the UK, the weather service said Monday was the hottest May day yet, with temperatures reaching 34.8C at Kew Gardens in south-west London – two degrees warmer than the previous record.
“The weather here feels like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s incredibly hot,” said ten-year-old Liza Nizari during a visit to London, where temperatures are normally around 17 °C or 18 °C at this time of year.
However, the weather service predicts that temperatures will drop later in the week.
Scientists say man-made climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and floods worse, leading to temperature records being broken more often.
(Photo: Georgios Kostomitsopoulos / Nurphoto / AFP)
Greg Dewhurst, a meteorologist from the UK’s National Meteorological Services, told AFP that the rise in extreme temperatures is “a good indicator of climate change in action” and is likely becoming “the new normal”.
Climate advisors warned the British government last week that the country is “equipped for a climate that no longer exists” and insisted that infrastructure such as schools and hospitals be adapted for a warmer planet.
In 2022, temperatures in the UK rose above 40 °C for the first time since record keeping.
On the other side of the English Channel, the weather agency Météo-France said that “Monday was the warmest day yet for May since measurements began”.
The agency said temperatures of between 33°C and 36°C are expected in several regions, and that the heat wave is likely to last at least until the end of the week.
Sébastien Lecornu, the French prime minister, was to hold a meeting with the cabinet on Thursday to discuss the government’s preparation for the heat wave.
A man died during a 10 km race in Paris on Sunday, civil protection services said, while another ten people had to be taken to hospital in a critical condition after a race in the suburb of Maisons-Alfort.
The scorching heat also made tennis fans toil at Roland-Garros in Paris on Monday.