Europe’s Deadly Heat Wave Sets New Records, Study Warns

A new study released Friday by World Weather Attribution says the heat wave hitting Europe is the most severe ever recorded in the region. It found that the extreme temperatures now affecting countries including France, Italy, Spain and Britain would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago, and are about 200 times more likely today than they were 20 years ago.

The researchers compared the current conditions, based on temperature data and forecasts from June 18 onward, with historic European heat waves. They said a similar event in the climate of June 1976 would have produced daytime temperatures about 3.5 degrees Celsius cooler, and that today’s readings are also about 2 degrees higher than during the devastating 2003 heat wave.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the current system is the lack of relief at night. In parts of France, nighttime temperatures have stayed above 20 degrees Celsius, the threshold for a “tropical night,” and some places have had lows close to 30 degrees. The heat has forced school closures, disrupted public transport and electricity supply, and led to cancellations of sports events because much of Europe lacks widespread air conditioning.

The human toll is already severe. French authorities have reported 48 drownings as residents sought relief in the water. Julien Marion, director general for civil protection and crisis management, said, “It is more than previous years and it mainly concerns young people,” adding, “When you are young, you tend to believe you are invincible, but you are not.” The study said 45% of 850 cities across the surveyed area have broken or are expected to break heat-stress records. Scientists said Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average and blamed continued greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, while stressing that El Nino did not drive this local extreme. Claire Barnes of Imperial College London said, “We are not doing enough to slow the pace of global warming right now.”