France sounds alarm as Europe’s deadly heatwave takes its toll

PARIS/ROME, June 25 (Reuters) – The city mayor told busy Parisians to slow down on Thursday as large parts of Western ​Europe remained in the grip of a deadly heatwave that has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu activated the highest ‌level of health services mobilisation in the face of a heatwave, meaning non-urgent operations could be cancelled to focus on caring for those affected by the hot weather.

Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday.

Parts of southern England and Wales were facing another day of record-breaking temperatures with a peak of around 37 C in some areas, after a new June high of 36.1 C was provisionally set in the southern English ​county of Hampshire on Wednesday.

France implemented a number of measures against heatwaves after one in 2003 caused nearly 15,000 excess deaths, with the elderly the hardest hit. This time around, younger ​people were a particular concern.

“The profile of people currently facing health risks is not necessarily what one might expect — that is, the most vulnerable, because they are ⁠closely monitored and well informed,” Emmanuel Gregoire, the mayor of Paris, said on broadcaster TF1.

“Rather, it’s people aged between 50 and 70 who are generally in good health, but who think this is just a normal period ​and continue going about their usual activities as if nothing has changed. Really, protect yourselves,” he said.

At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the start of the heatwave while trying to cool off, authorities ​said, and two young children were killed by heat in a car.

In Italy, Health Minister Orazio Schillaci called a meeting to address the risks after Italian media reported that five people had died on Wednesday from heat-related incidents.

The victims were two farmers in the northern provinces of Lodi and Piacenza, another man at a cemetery in the northern town of Pavia, a worker in the northeastern city of Padua, and a homeless man in the southern city of Naples.

Changes introduced in France ​since the 2003 heatwave included checking in on the elderly regularly and offering those in a retirement home the chance to spend several hours a day in a room with air conditioning.

Air conditioning remains relatively rare in ​Europe, but Asian makers of air conditioners, such as South Korea’s Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), opens new tab, China’s Midea and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric (6503.T), opens new tab, are enjoying a boom in sales, with strong demand from countries such as France, Spain and Italy.

The heatwave is being driven by a ‌weather pattern known ⁠as an Omega block, pushing temperatures as much as 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in heat over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes. Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change.

French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said that 13,500 schools were closed or placed on special schedules on Thursday, with many schools in parts of Europe not able to adequately protect children from the heat.

More than 1,000 schools closed or were partially closed in Britain as the temperature in some classrooms climbed to over 40 C, and authorities worry ​about extreme heat on treeless playgrounds.

Some London tourist attractions ​closed their doors, including Tower Bridge, the famous ⁠opening bridge with its neo-Gothic twin towers, while the popular Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace was cancelled.

Transport across London and southern England continued to be impacted. Many rail operators advised passengers to only make essential trips during the heatwave due to speed restrictions which have led to cuts to services.

France’s weather agency said an end to the heatwave was in sight, with temperatures set to gradually decrease on Friday.

However, Germany, Austria and Italy looked ​set for a torrid weekend.

Germany’s ⁠National Meteorological Service issued extreme heat warnings for a large area of western Germany, with temperatures expected to rise to 38 C on Thursday and 41 C on Friday and Saturday.

National rail operator Deutsche Bahn has offered customers the chance to cancel their journeys due to the heat, while a half marathon scheduled for Sunday in the northern city of Hamburg was postponed.

In neighbouring Austria, the national weather service issued a red heat warning for the northeast of the country, ⁠including Vienna, this ​weekend, when the temperature in the capital could hit a record 40 C.

Formula One’s governing body declared a heat hazard for the Austrian ​Grand Prix at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring in the south of the country this weekend.

Declaring a heat hazard requires teams to fit a driver cooling system, such as a liquid-cooled vest, though drivers are not obliged to use them and can take a ballast penalty instead.