PARIS - Scientists have shown that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, and warn that they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.
More heatwaves inevitable: IPCC chair
The heatwave scorching Europe has become worse than some scientific projections feared, the head of the UN's climate experts panel said Wednesday, warning that the continent will doubtless face more extremes as the planet warms.
"Inevitably, we're going to experience more of what we've been seeing over the last few days," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's chairman Jim Skea told journalists.
40°C forecast in Austria
Austria's weather service on Wednesday issued the highest heat alert for the weekend and Monday for the east of the country, including the capital Vienna, as well as several cities in the south, warning that temperatures could soar above 40 °C.
The service advised people to take precautions, such as staying indoors during the hottest hours of the day.
Heatwave risking health: WHO
"Europe's heatwave is closing schools and putting people's health at risk," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization.
"We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis."
35°C-plus for 94 million
At least 94 million people in Europe are expected to experience temperatures above 35 °C on Wednesday, most of them in France and Spain, according to AFP calculations.
Maximum temperatures are expected to surpass 30 °C for more than 350 million people across Europe (excluding Turkey), representing nearly two-thirds of the population, according to an analysis based on forecasts from the German weather service and 2025 population projections from the Joint Research Centre.
UK enters red alert
A rare red alert for extreme heat came into force in part of the UK on Wednesday morning, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures potentially as high as 40 °C, unprecedented for the time of year.
The red "extreme heat" warning for Wednesday and Thursday extends to parts of central and southern England, including London and Birmingham, the UK's two biggest cities.
French orals rescheduled
Around 10,000 of the 130,000 candidates sitting the baccalaureate exam had their oral tests rescheduled this week in France, said Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
First major French power cut
The record-breaking heatwave left around 68,000 households without electricity in northwestern France on Wednesday, the authorities said, in the country's first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather.
The outage, which involved a transformer on the electricity grid, was related to extreme temperatures and did not injure anyone, the prefecture in the coastal department of Finistere said in a statement.
Belgium's Atomium is on reduced hours
One of Belgium's best-known monuments, the space-age Atomium in Brussels, which is made of steel, will close earlier to visitors from Wednesday to Friday, to avoid operating during the hottest part of the day, its management said.
Stellantis workers walk off early
Workers at a site of Jeep maker Stellantis near the French city of Mulhouse said they were ending their shifts early from Tuesday to Sunday in protest at working conditions during the boiling hot weather.
France records its hottest day
France on Tuesday experienced its hottest day since measurements began in 1947, the national weather agency said.
The national temperature indicator -- an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations, reached 29.8 °C, Meteo-France said, citing provisional data.
The previous record was 29.4 °C, recorded on July 25, 2019, and August 5, 2003.
Eiffel Tower, Louvre close early
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, two of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, announced earlier closing times because of the heatwave.
Another usually crowded French landmark, the spectacular Mont Saint Michel island in Normandy, urged visitors to "put off your visit during the red alert".
- Article by AFP