Western Europe Braces for Another Severe Heatwave

Western Europe is preparing for another extreme heatwave, with Britain, France, Spain, Switzerland and Germany all raising alerts for several days of unusually high temperatures. AFP reported that warnings also covered some cities in northern and central Italy, as temperatures were expected to keep rising in the coming days.

France is at the center of the current heatwave. Hundreds of schools there have already had to change schedules to cope with the heat, and forecasters warned of an “intense and prolonged” spell that could push Paris above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in June. France has already recorded its warmest spring since measurements began in 1900.

In Switzerland, the town of Schaffhausen in the north recorded 35.7 degrees Celsius on Friday, a local June heat record. Britain also faces warning signs, with the UK Met Office saying there is a 40 percent chance of breaking the country’s June daily heat record, set in 1976. Meteorologists added that England and Wales have already logged their warmest spring on record, though Britain is not expected to see temperatures as extreme as those on the continent.

Germany warned over the weekend of thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain in parts of the country. In Spain, the civil protection agency warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat starting Sunday and lasting through much of next week, affecting most of the country and the Balearic Islands. Scientists say human-driven climate change is making such extreme events more frequent and more intense, including heatwaves, droughts and floods. British meteorologist Alex Deakin said, “We are seeing more temperature extremes, we are breaking records more often,” adding that heat periods are getting hotter and wet periods wetter.