4 people died in Spain, two in France and two in Italy as an early summer heat wave continued to grip much of Europe on Wednesday, triggering health alerts and forest fires and forcing the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant.
Spanish officials said a wildfire in Catalonia had killed two people a day earlier, and authorities reported heat wave-linked deaths also in Extremadura and Cordoba. France’s energy minister reported two deaths linked to the warmth, with 300 others taken to hospital.
Italy issued red alerts for 18 cities, while in Germany temperatures were forecast to peak at 40 C (104 F) in some areas, making it the most well liked day of the 12 months.
Two men over the age of 60 died in separate incidents on the beach in Sardinia from the warmth, ANSA news agency reported.
Weather forecaster Meteo France said red alerts remained for several areas of central France.
The risks were best for vulnerable members of the population, and Catherine Vautrin, France’s health and families minister, said authorities should remain vigilant.
“In the approaching days, we’ll see the implications, particularly on probably the most vulnerable, and I’m pondering particularly of the elderly,” she said.
Turkey, which battled blazes on several fronts forcing the temporary evacuation of about 50,000 people earlier within the week, said its fires were largely contained.
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Tuesday’s fire within the Catalonia region of Spain destroyed several farms and affected an area stretching about 40 kilometres (25 miles) before being contained, officials said.
Italy, France and Germany warn of heat-fueled storms
Italy, France and Germany warned of the danger of heavy storms on account of excessive warming in unstable atmospheres. Violent storms within the French Alps late on Monday triggered mudslides, disrupting rail traffic between Paris and Milan.
Swiss utility Axpo shut down one reactor unit on the Beznau nuclear power plant and halved output at one other on Tuesday due to extreme temperature of river water.
Water is used for cooling and other purposes at nuclear power plants, and restrictions were expected to proceed as temperatures are monitored.
The intense heat would likely impact the region’s economic growth, which was expected to slow by half a percentage point in 2025, Allianz Research said in a report, likening the financial toll of in the future with temperatures exceeding 32 C to half a day of strikes.
Scientists say heat waves have arrived earlier this 12 months, spiking temperatures by as much as 10 C (50 F) in some regions as warming seas encouraged the formation of a heat dome over much of Europe, trapping hot air masses.
Extreme heat ‘testing our resilience,’ expert says
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are a reason for climate change, they are saying, with deforestation and industrial practices being other contributing aspects. Last 12 months was the planet’s hottest on record.
“Extreme heat is testing our resilience and putting the health and lives of tens of millions in danger,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme.
“Our recent climate reality means we will not be surprised when temperatures reach record highs every year.”
Allianz Research’s warning of a dent in economic activity on account of the warmth rang true for some businesses. British baker Greggs GRG.L warned on Wednesday its annual profit could dip below last 12 months’s levels because the unusually hot UK temperatures discourage customers from eating out.
In Germany, people flocked to open air swimming pools and lakes to chill off, with many colleges across the country closed.
The hearth brigade was tackling several forest fires within the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
The upper floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris was shut to visitors on Tuesday, while the long-lasting Atomium in Brussels, an atom-like structure fabricated from chrome steel, closed early on Wednesday as a precaution, its third early closure this week.
Spain experienced its hottest June on record this 12 months, and France had its hottest June since 2003.
—Writing by Bernadette Baum; Additional reporting by Giulia Segreti, Miranda Murray, Dominique Vidalon, Emma Pinedo; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Bernadette Baum