World

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

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

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.

epa07672973 A girl cools down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris, France, 25 June 2019. According to forecasters, the temperatures should rise to almost 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days. EPA/IAN LANGSDON

A girl cools down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris today (Picture: EPA)

epa07672970 People cool down in the fountains of Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower, during a heatwave in Paris, France, 25 June 2019. According to forecasters, the temperatures should rise to almost 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days. EPA/IAN LANGSDON

Temperatures reached the low to mid-30Cs on Tuesday in parts of Spain, France and Italy (Picture: EPA)

Youngsters cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in Paris on June 24, 2019, as temperatures soar to 33 degrees Celsius. - Forecasters say Europeans will feel sizzling heat this week with temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in an "unprecedented" June heatwave hitting much of Western Europe. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images

Forecasters say Europeans will feel sizzling heat this week with temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees Celsius (Picture: AFP)

Youngsters sunbathe and cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in Paris on June 24, 2019, as temperatures soar to 33 degrees Celsius. - Forecasters say Europeans will feel sizzling heat this week with temperatures soaring as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in an "unprecedented" June heatwave hitting much of Western Europe. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images

Climate change scientists warn the heatwave could turn deadly (Picture: AFP)

TOPSHOT - A woman walks her dog through a fountain installation in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24, 2019 as temperatures soar to 35 degrees Celsius. - Fans flew off store shelves and public fountains offered relief from the heat as temperatures soared in Europe on Monday, with officials urging vigilance ahead of even hotter conditions forecast later in the week. Meteorologists blamed a blast of torrid air from the Sahara for the unusually early summer heatwave, which could send thermometers up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) across large swathes of the continent. (Photo by PHILIPPE DESMAZES / AFP)PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images

Fans flew off store shelves and public fountains offered relief from the heat as temperatures soared in Europe on Monday (Picture: AFP)

METRO

[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]

Related Articles

Back to top button