Spain headed for its hottest early summer temperatures in four decades yesterday, one area of France banned outdoor events, and drought stalked Italian farmers as a heat wave sent Europeans hunting for shade and fretting over climate change.
Such was the heat that England’s upscale Royal Ascot Racecourse even saw a rare change of protocol: Guests were allowed to shed hats and jackets once the royals had passed.
“Avoid over-exposing to the sun, hydrate and take care of the most vulnerable so they don’t suffer from heat stroke,” was the advice from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid during an event, fittingly, about desertification.
Temperatures were due to reach 40 to 42 degrees Celsius in Madrid and Zaragoza, in central and eastern Spain respectively, the national weather agency said. Those would be levels not seen so early in the year since 1981.
Northern Italian regions risk losing up to half their agricultural output due to a drought, a farm lobby said, as lakes and rivers start to run dangerously low, jeopardising irrigation.
The federation of Italian utility companies, Utilitalia, warned this week that the country’s longest river, the Po, was experiencing its worst drought for 70 years, leaving many sections of the vast, northern waterway completely dried up.
In France, the Gironde department around Bordeaux prohibited public events including concerts and those at indoor venues without air conditioning, a local official told public radio.
Temperatures in many of France’s areas hit 40 C for the first time this year and are expected to peak today, climbing to 41-42 C.
A spokesperson for the UK’s weather service said that yesterday was likely to top Wednesday’s hottest day of the year so far of 28.2 degrees C, with 34C expected in some parts of the southeast.