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A woman holding a hand fan stands in Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower as temperatures soar in Paris during the second heatwave affecting much of France, June 20. Photo: Reuters . |
A severe heatwave is gripping much of Europe and is forecast to worsen in the coming days, forcing many countries to implement emergency measures to mitigate the impact on public health and transport infrastructure, according to AFP.
The "red alert" matrix in France
In France, authorities have confirmed heat-related deaths over the past weekend. Meanwhile, scientists continue to warn that human-induced climate change is contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
On June 21st, 49 out of 96 provinces in mainland France were placed on red alert for weather, a sharp increase from 35 provinces the previous weekend. Authorities also announced the closure of 845 schools and allowed approximately 1,800 others to end classes early to protect students from dangerously high temperatures.
In many localities, outdoor activities have been canceled. Some cities have decided to halt their annual music festivals, while the government has banned public drinking in areas under a red alert for health and public safety reasons.
Many areas in France recorded temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius – considered unusual for June. In the Gironde region of southwestern France, local authorities reported the deaths of three people aged between 80 and 95, with the heat identified as a contributing factor.
French meteorological agencies warn that the current heatwave could be as severe as the summer of 2003 – an extreme weather event that killed nearly 15,000 people across France.
Traffic is paralyzed, and railway infrastructure is in disarray.
Not only France, but many other European countries are also struggling with rising temperatures. France and Belgium have simultaneously reduced some rail services to limit the risk of infrastructure damage due to extreme weather.
In Belgium, the national railway company SNCB announced the cancellation of several trains during peak hours on the first two days of the week to reduce the risk of technical problems paralyzing the transport system.
David Dehenauw, director of forecasting at the Royal Belgian Meteorological Institute (IRM), warned that the country could record its "highest temperatures ever recorded in history" next week.
French Minister for Grassroots Ecology Mathieu Lefevre described this heatwave as "exceptionally intense and unusually early." Previously, many European countries had also recorded record temperatures in May.
According to Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading (UK), climate change is the main factor behind the current series of record temperatures.
"Human-induced climate change has created the conditions for this to happen, accumulating more heat in the atmosphere and making extreme heat waves much more severe than before," he stated.
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A tourist shields their face from the sun near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Photo: Reuters. |
In Spain, the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has warned that temperatures will be "extremely high" both day and night from now until June 25th. Some areas are forecast to reach as high as 44 degrees Celsius.
Although temperatures may drop slightly from June 26th, the agency said that the intense heatwave will continue.
In Madrid, authorities had to cancel plans to set up a large outdoor screen for people to watch Spain's World Cup match due to concerns about the impact of extreme weather.
In the UK, Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, predicted the country would experience an unprecedented heatwave in June.
"Temperatures next week could reach 38-39 degrees Celsius. The current June record in the UK is 35.6 degrees Celsius and it's highly likely to be completely broken," she said.
According to Ms. Bentley, if the forecast comes true, Britain will see two consecutive months – May and June – recording record high temperatures exceeding 2 degrees Celsius, an alarming sign of the increasing global warming trend.
Source: https://znews.vn/chau-au-nong-nhu-thieu-dot-post1662012.html
