Britain breaks June temperature record

Deadly heatwave gripping Europe intensifies

LONDON/PARIS:

The temperature in Britain hit a record high for June on Thursday as large parts of Western Europe were in the grip of a deadly early summer heatwave that has killed dozens, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.

French and British authorities warned people to adapt their daily routines to avoid overheating, and the head of the Paris police said there would be a ban on drinking alcohol in public from Friday midday onwards, as the city's hospitals struggled to deal with patients suffering from the heatwave.

"We are just at the start of seeing an increase in people going to emergency wards," French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told a press conference.

Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. The peak on Thursday was just under 40 C at Parc Montsouris in the south of the city.

Temperatures reached 36.7 C in southwest England on Thursday, provisionally making it the hottest June day recorded in Britain, surpassing a record set just a day earlier, the Met Office said.

The Met Office extended a red heat alert into Friday for a large area of southern England, the first time such warnings have been issued for three days in a row. A similar warning was issued for the Netherlands for Friday.

"Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to adapt their daily routines to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the UK," said Andy Page, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office.

Germany, Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic face a torrid few days as temperatures are forecast to soar further east and south.

France implemented measures against heatwaves after one in 2003 caused nearly 15,000 excess deaths, with older people the hardest hit.

This time around, active younger people were a big concern, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said.

"Rather, it's people aged between 50 and 70 who are generally in good health, but who think this is just a normal period and continue going about their usual activities as if nothing has changed. Really, protect yourselves," he told broadcaster TF1.

At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the start of the heatwave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and three young children are known to have been killed by heat in cars in two separate incidents.

Since the end of last week, more than 20 people across Germany have died in swimming-related accidents, the German Life Saving Association said in a statement to Reuters.

The heatwave will reduce output across many French agricultural sectors, including cereals, livestock, poultry and fruit and vegetables, particularly field-grown crops such as carrots, agriculture ministry officials told reporters. For crops that suffer significant damage, prices are likely to rise, they said.

The heat, expected to peak over the next three days, could endanger the health of up to 1.5 million Italian workers, including builders, farmers and couriers, according to estimates by the Italian CGIL trade union and Greenpeace Italy.

Italian news reports said five people died on Wednesday from heat-related incidents.

Several Italian regions have banned outdoor work during the hottest times of the day, and the government this week said firms forced to pause work due to the heat could access funds for furloughed staff.

The heatwave is being driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, pushing temperatures as much as 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.