PARIS: After days of record-breaking heatwaves across Europe, relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of western Europe.
Paris hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, but the high will drop to 35C on Wednesday and to 28C on Thursday, Meteo-France forecast.
“Our latest forecasts confirm the arrival of cooling from the west on Wednesday, which will quickly affect the northwest of the country,“ Meteo-France said, adding that there could be heavy thunderstorms late Wednesday and Thursday in the east along the German border.
Germany’s national weather service is forecasting a peak of 40C on Wednesday in the economic capital Frankfurt, but that will plummet to 27C by Thursday.
Spain and Italy, meanwhile, may have to wait for the weekend to see some limited relief.
On Tuesday, around 2,200 schools were shut in France because of the heat, but only about 135 are expected to be kept closed Wednesday, the education ministry said.
Meteo-France said June 30 was the hottest June day since measurements began in 1947, beating out a record set in 2019.
Similar records were set Tuesday in Portugal and the Netherlands.
“For the continent as a whole, the month is likely to be ranked among the top 5 warmest Junes on record,“ said the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
On Sunday, in a case of two extremes, the Mediterranean Sea hit a record-high temperature for June while Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, went above freezing, a rarity for this time of year.
In Turkey, forest fires that broke out over the weekend around Izmir in the west and Hatay in the south were largely brought under control, authorities said Tuesday evening, though they warned about continued risks from dry, hot winds.
– ‘Silent killer’ –
Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a “silent killer”.
On Tuesday, police in Spain said a two-year-old died in the country’s northeast after being left in a car in the sun for several hours.
“Due to climate change caused by humans, extreme heat is becoming more frequent and intense. This is something we must learn to live with,“ said Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency based in Geneva.
Extreme heat can cause dehydration, muscle cramps, headaches and nausea. The most serious risk is heatstroke, which can lead to death, especially in vulnerable people. Free guided tours of air-conditioned museums in Venice and free access to swimming pools in Rome were offered to protect seniors.
According to a report by Allianz Trade on Tuesday, the European economy could lose 0.5 percentage points of growth this year due to recent heatwaves.
The health impact will take longer to assess. According to France’s Ministry of Health, an initial estimate of excess mortality during the period will be available approximately two weeks after the end of the heatwave, but detailed data based on medical data will not be available until the fall.
