Europe Braces for Peak Heat Wave as UK Schools Close

Europe’s heat wave intensified on Tuesday, with several countries preparing for temperatures well above seasonal norms and some areas fearing highs of 40 degrees Celsius. Severe weather alerts were issued across western and central Europe as the continent moved toward what forecasters expect to be the peak of the heat wave.

In the United Kingdom, a number of schools were set to close completely on Tuesday or end classes early because of the extreme heat. Some of those measures were already being implemented, with more precautions planned for Wednesday and Thursday, when the peak of the heat wave is expected in Britain.

France also faced extreme conditions. Record temperatures were already reached there on Monday, and on Tuesday severe alerts covered more than 50 departments. In the past 24 hours, two children were found dead in a car, with suspicion that they died because of the heat wave. France’s interior minister is expected to hold an emergency meeting on the situation.

Officials also reported that since the beginning of the week, 20 people have drowned while swimming in unmonitored areas in an apparent attempt to escape the heat. The article notes that extreme heat waves have become routine in Europe in recent years. Last year, the continent saw another unusually intense heat wave with temperatures around and above 40 degrees, while Turkey suffered wildfires and Spain and Portugal recorded historic highs of about 46 degrees.