Europe’s Heat Wave Leaves Dozens Dead and Breaks Temperature Records

An unusual heat wave sweeping large parts of Europe has killed at least 20 people in France, including two small children who were forgotten in a family car outside their home in the country’s southeast. The children, aged 2 and 4, were found by their mother in the vehicle in Carpentras, and rescuers later confirmed their deaths, according to prosecutors there.

French officials also reported three heat-related deaths of elderly people, aged 80 to 95, in the Bordeaux area over the weekend, as well as 13 drowning deaths on Sunday and Monday. Civil protection spokesman Jérôme Boulanger urged people to swim only where lifeguards are present, saying drownings in France rose 172% during last year’s heat waves as many people tried to cool off in the water.

Temperatures have reached extreme levels. Bordeaux recorded 41.9 degrees Celsius, a new high that broke the previous record from August, while Poitiers hit 41.2 degrees, surpassing a mark last set in 1947. Paris is expected to reach 38.4 degrees, which could be a new June record. French authorities also deliberately shut down one reactor at a nuclear power plant near Toulouse after temperatures climbed to 46 degrees Celsius, because overheated nearby water could have affected cooling.

The heat is affecting much of the continent. San Sebastian in northern Spain is forecast to reach 40 degrees, more than twice its historical June 22 average of 22 degrees. The World Meteorological Organization said in an April report that Europe is warming faster than any other continent, at more than twice the global average. Britain is facing a four-day heat wave with temperatures possibly above 39 degrees, Italy has issued red alerts in 12 cities, and utilities in Turin have added staff and generators after localized power outages. Officials in France, Spain and Germany have also imposed precautions, while scientists say human-caused climate change is making extreme weather more intense and more frequent.