Europe Sees Deadly Heat Wave With Hundreds of Deaths in Spain and Fatalities in France

A powerful heat wave continued to spread across Europe on Thursday, with forecasters saying at least 380 million people, more than two-thirds of the continent’s population, were facing temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and at least 101 million above 35. Cities including Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Geneva, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and London all reported or expected intense heat, while some countries are due to get relief only as the hot air mass shifts east.

Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute said at least 212 deaths recorded from Sunday through Wednesday could be linked to the heat. By Thursday, no Spanish province remained under the highest red or orange alerts, but Monday and Tuesday had brought Spain its hottest June days since 1950. France suffered the worst conditions this week, with 63 million people above 30 degrees and 53 million above 35, and authorities there recorded the country’s hottest day ever for a second straight day, with Paris reaching 40.9 degrees, a June record. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu activated the highest level of health services mobilization, allowing non-urgent surgeries to be postponed.

In France, at least 48 people have drowned in recent days while trying to cool off in seas, rivers and lakes. One victim was Kenzo Kies, a 21-year-old footballer for Guingamp, who drowned Monday in the Rhône near Lyon and died after being declared brain dead; Guingamp and Saint-Étienne paid tribute to him. France also reported a three-year-old child who died after being trapped in a family car near Paris, following two similar child deaths earlier in the week. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 13,500 schools were closed or operating in special mode Thursday, and the country’s main power supplier shut two nuclear reactors to avoid releasing too much hot water into overheated rivers.

Britain, Germany, Austria and Italy were also hit hard. More than 1,000 schools were fully or partly closed in Britain, where London landmarks including Tower Bridge shut and the Buckingham Palace guard change was canceled. Germany issued extreme heat warnings for much of the west, with 41 degrees expected over the weekend, while Austria posted a red alert for the northeast, including Vienna, ahead of possible 40-degree heat and Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix was declared a heat hazard event. In Italy, at least five heat-related deaths were reported Thursday and the health minister convened a meeting on the risks.

The heat wave stems from a rare “omega blocking” pattern trapping hot air over Europe, pushing temperatures as much as 18 degrees above average. Meteorologists and EU climate services say Europe is warming faster than any other continent, and scientists link the increasing frequency and severity of heat waves to human-caused climate change.