At least 18 people have died in France, including two children left in a hot car, as a severe heatwave hung over Europe, smashing all-time temperature records in several major cities on Monday. As schools in France closed or modified their timetables, meteorologists in Britain warned that temperatures across the United Kingdom could break historic records for the month of June later this week.
Record-breaking temperatures across France and Spain
The temperature in Bordeaux, located in France's western wine country, rose to 41.9 degrees Celsius, breaking a record previously set last August. In Poitiers, located in central France, the mercury reached 41.2 degrees Celsius, beating a long-standing high set back in 1947. Meanwhile, preliminary numbers from Météo-France indicated that Paris was on track to register its highest-ever temperature for June, with the mercury hitting 38.4 degrees Celsius.
In San Sebastián, in Spain's traditionally cooler northern region, temperatures were set to reach 40 degrees Celsius, more than double the city's historic average for this time of year. A spokesperson for Spain's AEMET weather agency, Rubén del Campo, noted that temperatures are ranging between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius above normal for this time of year, with some northern areas experiencing anomalies exceeding 10 degrees Celsius.
Tragic deaths: Children and elderly among victims
First responders in France were unable to resuscitate two children, aged 2 and 4, who were found unconscious by their mother in the family car outside their home in Carpentras, located in the southeast region of the country. Additionally, local government officials confirmed that three elderly people, aged between 80 and 95, died over the weekend in the Bordeaux region from health complications directly caused by the extreme heat.
French authorities also reported that 13 people drowned between Sunday and Monday as citizens flocked to open water to cool off. French Civil Safety service spokesperson Jérôme Boulanger urged the public to swim only in supervised locations, noting that drowning fatalities spike significantly during intense summer heatwaves.
Omega block: The atmospheric phenomenon behind the heatwave
Clair Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather and climate at Imperial College London, explained that the ongoing weather pattern is caused by an atmospheric phenomenon known as an Omega block. This system draws a slow-moving bulge of intense heat directly from North Africa and the Sahara Desert across Europe, trapping the hot air with virtually no breeze to offer respite.
In the United Kingdom, the Met Office announced that the ongoing four-day heatwave could push temperatures above 39 degrees Celsius in some areas. This would comfortably surpass the previous British June record of 35.6 degrees Celsius set in 1957 and 1976.
Infrastructure strain and wildlife impact
The intense heat has placed immense strain on regional infrastructure and local wildlife. Italy issued red heatwave alerts for 12 major cities on Monday, with utility providers in Turin doubling worker shifts and deploying temporary generators to combat localized power outages as the cooling demand stressed the electrical grid.
In Belgium, wildlife rehabilitation centers reported a massive influx of heat-stricken birds, particularly swifts, swallows, and sparrows that nest beneath roofs. Rescuers noted that temperatures in roof eaves can exceed 50 degrees Celsius, forcing young birds to leap from their nests to avoid the extreme heat. One refuge in Temploux reported taking in 150 affected animals over a three-day period alone.
