The temperature in Britain hit a record high for June yesterday as large parts of Western Europe were in the grip of a deadly early summer heatwave that has killed dozens, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.
French and British authorities warned people to adapt their daily routines to avoid overheating, and the head of the Paris police said there would be a ban on drinking alcohol in public from today midday onwards, as the city’s hospitals struggled to deal with patients suffering from the heatwave.
“We are just at the start of seeing an increase in people going to emergency wards,” French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told a Press conference.
Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9C on Wednesday.
The peak yesterday was just under 40C at Parc Montsouris in the south of the city.
Temperatures reached 36.7C in southwest England yesterday, provisionally making it the hottest June day recorded in Britain, surpassing a record set just a day earlier, the Met Office said.
The Met Office extended a red heat alert for today for a large area of southern England, the first time such warnings have been issued for three days in a row.
A similar warning was issued for the Netherlands for today.
Germany, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic face a torrid few days as temperatures are forecast to soar further east and south.
France implemented measures against heatwaves after one in 2003 caused nearly 15,000 excess deaths, with older people the hardest hit.
This time around, active younger people were a big concern, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said.
The heatwave will reduce output across many French agricultural sectors, including cereals, livestock, poultry and fruit and vegetables, particularly field-grown crops such as carrots, agriculture ministry officials told reporters.
For crops that suffer significant damage, prices are likely to rise, they said.
The heat, expected to peak over the next three days, could endanger the health of up to 1.5 million Italian workers, including builders, farmers and couriers, according to estimates by the Italian CGIL trade union and Greenpeace Italy.
Italian news reports said five people died on Wednesday from heat-related incidents.
Several Italian regions have banned outdoor work during the hottest times of the day, and the government this week said firms forced to pause work due to the heat could access funds for furloughed staff.
French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said that 13,500 schools were closed or placed on special schedules yesterday.
More than 1,000 schools closed or were partially closed in Britain as the temperature in some classrooms climbed to over 40C, and authorities worry about extreme heat on treeless playgrounds, with the end of term still a few weeks away for many.
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