Tens of millions are facing a weekend of extreme temperatures in Europe as a deadly heat wave moves east, with German forecasters warning more records could be broken and eastern countries issuing a series of red alerts for the coming days.
AFP Analyzes suggested nearly 200 million would face temperatures of more than 35℃ on Saturday as an unprecedented warm spell that has already seen records toppled in Britain, France and Switzerland drags on.
Dozens of people have died either from heat-related illness or drowning, and emergency services in several countries have said their facilities are at capacity.
Street parties and music festivals were canceled in France, Germany and the Netherlands – although Pride Marches were due to take place in Budapest and Munich despite extreme heat warnings.
And both Switzerland and France had shut down nuclear reactors as the water used for cooling was in danger of overheating nearby rivers.
The German Weather Service (DWD) issued a red warning for most of the country on Saturday.
“It cannot be ruled out that temperatures could approach 42℃,” the service said, which would mean another all-time heat record just a day after the previous one.
Scientists have shown that recurring heat waves are a clear marker of global warming driven by humans burning fossil fuels – and are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.
Experts said a “heat dome” of trapped air from North Africa caused the intense weather, and while the phenomenon was not unprecedented, the temperatures were.
‘Everything is hot’
Romania was the latest country to issue a red alert, issuing a warning that almost the entire country would face extreme heat from Monday to Wednesday.
Slovakia had issued a similar warning and confirmed that Friday night had been the hottest on record, with temperatures not falling below 26.3℃.
Denis Ovdyienko, a courier, told AFP in Bratislava on Friday, he struggled to stay cool and had to rely on public water fountains.
“I feel like everything is hot. The road is hot, my phone is hot, my head is hot, everything is hot,” said the 26-year-old.
“After four o’clock the fatigue starts to set in.”
The Czech Republic, Hungary and Moldova were also on high alert for the weekend, with the Balkan countries also bracing for some tough days.
‘Exceptional, extreme’
At least 193 million people in Europe were expected to experience temperatures above 35℃ on Saturday, according to AFP calculations based on forecasts, with Germany the hardest hit.
Although a number of events were cancelled, there were many in Germany who soldiered on.
The Berlin Philharmonic said it would go ahead with its traditional end-of-season outdoor concert in Berlin despite temperatures of up to 41℃, but the dress code would be relaxed.
“The gentlemen will perform without jackets, but with a black shirt on top,” said a spokeswoman for the orchestra.
They would be allowed to roll up their sleeves and the women’s top would only have to cover the elbow and not necessarily have to be long sleeved.
However, the authorities in Paris forced the abandonment of several events, including the city’s annual Pride March.
Deputy mayor in charge of health, Antoine Alibert, said hospitals in the French capital were saturated – echoing comments from several other city leaders.
He told local media that stretchers were “piling up in the corridors”, emergency calls had skyrocketed and hospital visits were on the rise.
“We are in the midst of a health crisis. This is an exceptional and extreme heat wave event,” he said.
