Europe basks in the sun but experts warn it could turn deadly hot

By Deputy Chief EditorJune 25, 2019

176 1 minute read

People cool off in the Trocadero fountains across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a heatwave hit much of the country, France, June 25, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau — Experts warn that the elderly, homeless and those without air conditioning will be particularly at risk (Picture: Reuters)

An intense heatwave is expected to bake Europe in the coming days and could shatter temperature records across large portion of the continent.

The heat wave is expected to peak between Wednesday and Friday, when a swath from Spain to Poland is expected to see temperatures reach 40 degrees above normal.

Meteorologists expect previous June highs to be approached and possibly exceeded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, with all-time records likely to fall in some countries.

From the low to mid-30Cs on Tuesday in parts of Spain, France and Italy, most weather models predict temperatures will rise by Thursday to the low to mid-40Cs in south and central France and north-east Spain, and the upper 30Cs in much of the rest of continental Europe.

Heat waves are silent killers, tweeted Stefan Rahmstorf, a climate scientist at Potsdam University.

The 2003 European heat wave has caused about 70,000 fatalities. Last years hot summer in Germany has been estimated to have caused at least 1,000 excess deaths.