A major heat wave broke temperature records across northwest Europe this week, triggered water shortages in the U.K. and, ironically, sent power prices plunging — even into negative territory.
Driven by a persistent high-pressure heat dome, the scorching conditions raised average temperatures by 16 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit above the norm across the region. London hit a May record of 95 degrees Tuesday, according to the Met Office.
The system pushed away cloud cover across a wide swath of the U.K., leading to unusually sunny skies that intensified the heat while also boosting solar power generation. At its peak around midday Sunday, solar met almost half of the U.K.’s electricity demand — the highest ever, according to official data. The surge in renewable output weighed on Europe’s power market, pushing hourly prices in France below zero at one point.
The searing early season heat is raising concerns about the effects of extreme weather as summer temperatures climb. Longer-term forecasts for the world’s fastest-warming continent show more heat waves in the months ahead, especially as high temperatures drain moisture from soils, meteorologists say.
Markets reflected investors’ worries about having enough hydropower and about nuclear power plants having to cut back on production this summer as temperatures climb in key rivers used for cooling French reactors.
While the clear skies under the heat dome were a boon for solar, they’re having the opposite effect on wind speeds. Below-normal wind generation was forecast in Germany, Spain, Italy and France, where generation slumped to about 0.5 gigawatts at one point, whereas it has averaged 7.4 gigawatts so far this year.
France recorded its hottest May day this week. The heat wave was directly linked to at least two deaths in the country, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said on TF1 television. At least five people died from drowning, and others died from heat-related causes during sporting events, she said.
There were heat alerts in 13 departments in the west of the country.
“Before 1989, heat waves occurred on average once every five years in mainland France. Since 2000, at least one heat wave has been recorded every summer,” Météo-France said in a statement.
Amber warnings for high temperatures were also in effect for western Spain. Similar alerts are also active for parts of the U.K. through most of the week, including London, east and southeast England and the Midlands.
Wertz and Farhat write for Bloomberg. Phil Serafino, Nayla Razzouk and Eva Brendel of Bloomberg contributed to this report.
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