Europe suffocates in June’s record heat wave

Spain, France and other western European countries sweltered on Saturday under a scorching June heat wave that sparked wildfires and raised fears that such early summer heat waves could become now the norm.

Saturday’s spike in temperatures was the peak of a June heat wave, in line with scientists’ predictions that such phenomena would now occur earlier in the year thanks to global warming.

France’s popular southwest resort of Biarritz experienced its highest ever temperature of 42.9 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon, state forecaster Météo France said, as authorities called for vigilance from the central west coast to the Spanish border.

Many parts of the region exceeded 40°C, although thunderstorms are expected by late evening.

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beach at Saint-Jean de Luz in southwestern France as heatwave conditions sweep across France and western Europe.” src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7″ decoding=”async” data-nimg=”responsive” class=”css-rkd8zy” style=”position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%”/>

Swimmers jump into the water from a platform on the beach at Saint-Jean de Luz in southwestern France as heatwave conditions sweep across France and western Europe. Source: Getty / GAIZKA IROZ/AFP via Getty Images

The scorching heat didn’t put off heavy metal aficionados attending the Hellfest festival in Clisson on the outskirts of the western city of Nantes; fans headed for the few shaded areas available as temperatures soared past 40C.

Those who found the energy to headbang to the beat of the music were grateful to have several water fountains on hand that periodically sprinkled them.

Festival-goers cool off under the water walls set up by the festival’s technical team during the Hellfest festival in Clisson, France. Source: Getty / Getty Images/Getty Images

Queues of hundreds and traffic jams have formed outside water parks in France as people see the water as the only refuge from the scorching heat.

The Seine being prohibited for swimming, burnt Parisians took refuge in the fountains of the city.

“This is the first heat wave ever recorded in France” since 1947, said Matthieu Sorel, climatologist at Météo France, as June records fell in a dozen regions, which leads him to qualify the weather as a “marker of climate change”.

Parisians sit by the Seine after a day of high temperatures of nearly 40C in what is expected to be a new record for the hottest June day in the city. Source: Getty / Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

Forest fires are raging

In a major incident in France, a fire started by the firing of an artillery shell during military training in the Var region of southern France burned some 200 hectares of vegetation, local authorities said.

“There is no threat to anyone except 2,500 sheep who are being evacuated and brought to safety,” local fire chief Olivier Pecot said.

The fire originated from the Canjeurs military camp, the largest such training site in Western Europe.

The work of the fire services was hampered by the presence of unexploded ordnance in the deserted area, but four Canadair planes were deployed to bombard the fires with water.

The country’s farmers must adapt.

Daniel Toffaloni, a 60-year-old farmer near the southern city of Perpignan, now only works “from dawn until 11:30 a.m.” and in the evening, as temperatures in his tomato greenhouses reach a sizzling 55C.

Wildfires in Spain on Saturday had burned nearly 20,000 hectares of land in the northwestern Sierra de la Culebra region.

The flames forced several hundred people from their homes and 14 villages were evacuated.

Some residents were able to return on Saturday morning, but regional authorities warned that the fire “remains active”.

Firefighters were still battling blazes in several other areas, including the forests of Catalonia.

A man cools off in a fountain in downtown Madrid, Spain, as a heat wave batters southwestern Europe. Source: AAP / Manu Fernandez/AP

Temperatures above 40°C were forecast for parts of the country on Saturday, with highs of 43°C expected in the northeastern city of Zaragoza.

There have also been fires in Germany, where temperatures are expected to reach 40C on Saturday, although they only reached 36C. A fire in the Brandenburg region around Berlin had spread about 60 acres Friday night.

A taste of the future

The UK recorded its hottest day of the year on Friday, with temperatures reaching over 30C by early afternoon, meteorologists said.

“I think right now people are just enjoying it being warm, but if it’s warmer than that, which I think it’s supposed to do, then that’s a concern,” said Claire Moran, editor in London.

People hang out on Primrose Hill in London during a brief heatwave. Source: Getty / Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Several towns in northern Italy have announced water rationing and the Lombardy region could declare a state of emergency as record drought threatens crops.

Italian dairy cows were producing 10% less milk, the main agricultural association, Coldiretti, said on Saturday.

With temperatures well above the “ideal climate” for cows of 22-24C, the animals were drinking up to 140 liters of water a day, doubling their normal intake and producing less due to stress, he said. -he declares.

Experts warned that the high temperatures were caused by worrying trends in climate change.

“Due to climate change, heat waves are starting earlier,” said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva.

“What we are witnessing today is unfortunately a taste of the future” if concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise and push global warming towards 2C from pre-industrial levels, a- she added.

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Europe suffocates in June’s record heat wave

Forest fires are raging

A taste of the future

Seleccions

Europe suffocates in June’s record heat wave

Forest fires are raging

A taste of the future

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