As Europe broiled under record-shattering temperatures that are testing the continent’s ability to adapt to extreme weather, Spain on Thursday warned of a possible spike in heat-related deaths.
The continent’s stifling heat wave — the second in two months — has disrupted education, transportation and other aspects of daily life for millions of people, with officials warning that older people or those who work outdoors, like on construction sites, are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.
The heat has also proved deadly.
In Spain, where temperatures soared past 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 Fahrenheit, over several days, official statistical models suggested that more than 200 deaths could ultimately be attributed to the heat wave. The Health Institute of Carlos III, which is linked to Spain’s health ministry, cautioned that the figures were estimates, but officials and experts say there is a clear correlation between extreme temperatures and serious health issues.
In Italy, five people have died from heat exposure this week, according to the country’s main news agency, ANSA. Several of them died while working outside, and a homeless man died in Naples, highlighting the vulnerability of those who had little choice but to be outdoors.
In France, at least 40 people have drowned since the latest heat wave began in the middle of last week, many of them teenagers swimming in unsupervised areas. And French prosecutors said three children were found dead in parked cars this week, in two separate incidents.
Across much of Western Europe, temperatures were in the high 30s to low 40s Celsius, or around 100 Fahrenheit, on Thursday afternoon. Paris hit 39.6 Celsius, or 103.3 Fahrenheit, and was forecast to reach 42 Celsius later in the day. Temperatures in Britain broke a record for June that was set just a day earlier, with 36.4 degrees, or 97.5 Fahrenheit, recorded in southwest England by early Thursday afternoon, a number that was expected to climb.
More than a dozen countries were under high-level heat warnings on Thursday, including Austria, Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and Sweden.
Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common and severe because of climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, experts say. And average temperatures are rising fastest in European countries, which are also some of the least accustomed to extreme heat. In Britain and France, for instance, many buildings don’t just lack air-conditioning — they are also designed to retain heat.
The heat is also testing infrastructure. At one point on Tuesday, nearly 120,000 homes lost electricity in France as the nation’s power grid struggled to meet demand, the national network, RTE, said. In southwest France, the authorities shut down a nuclear plant because the water temperature in the river, used to cool its reactor, was dangerously hot. Rail journeys in Britain, Germany and Switzerland were delayed or canceled as the heat risked buckling railway tracks, officials said.
Forecasters said temperatures were expected to gradually cool down across Western Europe starting on Friday.
Globally, last month was the second-hottest May in 177 years of record-keeping, after 2024, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A city in Pakistan set a new heat record in May of 51.5 degrees Celsius, or 125 degrees Fahrenheit. And temperatures in some parts of northern India approached 50 degrees Celsius last month, forcing millions of workers to choose between their health and their wages.
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