Two children, aged 4 and 2, were found dead in their family's car in southeastern France, the local prosecutor said, as a ferocious heatwave sweeps across western Europe, forecast to shatter absolute temperature records. The deaths occurred in Carpentras, where temperatures were expected to exceed 39°C (102.2°F) on Monday afternoon. "The causes of death are yet to be determined, but the heat is the leading line of inquiry," said Hélène Mourges, the prosecutor in Carpentras.
Three elderly people, aged between 80 and 95, also died near Bordeaux over the weekend due to health problems caused by extreme temperatures, an official confirmed. Additionally, 13 people drowned in swimming accidents amid the heat.
France on High Alert
French authorities placed half the country—49 of the 96 mainland departments—on level 1 danger-to-life warning on Monday, urging 35 million people to exercise "absolute vigilance," avoid strenuous exertion, and stay out of direct sun. Six more departments will be added to the red list on Tuesday, with 35 others remaining on level 2 orange alert. "Very high temperatures are setting in for the long term across the country," said the national weather service, Météo-France.
Temperatures throughout western and central France are likely to exceed 40°C from Monday afternoon, hitting 43°C in Bordeaux, 41°C in Limoges, 40°C in Toulouse and Tours, and 39°C in Paris, and will continue rising until the end of the week. Nighttime lows are also far higher than normal until at least Friday, with minimum temperatures of about 25°C recorded in several towns and cities overnight on Sunday, setting all-time records. France's national heat index—an average of day and nighttime highs measured at 30 weather stations—is expected to hit its highest ever level on Monday or Tuesday.
Schools Closed, Trains Cancelled
More than 1,300 schools were closed nationwide on Monday, while another 4,000 rescheduled classes to allow pupils to leave early. One in 10 regional train services around Paris were cancelled amid fears for rolling stock and tracks. "Many people are going to suffer, because bodies suffer from an accumulation of high temperatures," said Stéphanie Rist, France's health minister, visiting a Paris hospital. She urged people to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors. "We're heading for, at the very least, several days of very, very hot weather. We really don't know when temperatures will start falling," Rist later told French television.
France's annual street music festival, the Fête de la Musique, went ahead on Sunday, although some local authorities cancelled it, and others ran only evening events. Alcohol restrictions were imposed in many areas.
Spain Declares Heatwave
Spain declared its first official heatwave of the year from Sunday until Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 44°C in some areas. A public screening in Madrid of the national football team's World Cup match against Saudi Arabia was cancelled. The state weather service, Aemet, warned of "extremely high" day and night temperatures and issued a red alert for the northern Basque region, where San Sebastián was forecast to hit 40°C, more than double the seasonal average. "We are seeing temperatures between 5 and 10 degrees above normal for this time of year, and in some northern areas even more than 10 degrees above average," said Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for the meteorological agency.
Germany, Belgium, UK, and Italy Affected
In Germany, organisers suspended the final of the Berlin Open tennis tournament and cleared the event location due to severe thunderstorms as temperatures in Berlin topped 30°C over the weekend. Temperatures in Belgium—already past 30°C on Sunday—would be "the hottest ever recorded," said David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM weather institute. Some rush-hour trains were cancelled to limit the risk of breakdowns. In the UK, the Met Office issued an "extreme heat" warning for much of southern England and parts of Wales until Thursday, predicting temperatures up to 39°C. The current record for a June day is 35.6°C, set in 1976. Italy issued heatwave red alerts for 12 cities, including Milan, Turin, Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Rome.
Scientists have said that as the Earth continues to warm, extreme heat events historically confined to high summer will become more frequent, more intense, and last longer, as well as happening earlier and later in the year.
