Burning through June: Europe faces its widest heatwave in decades

More Europeans were exposed to extreme heat in the second half of June than during any previous June heatwave on record according to an AFP analysis based on data from the European Drought Observatory and population figures from the Joint Research Centre Between June 15 and 30 temperatures crossed 35 degrees Celsius across vast parts of the continent affecting more than twothirds of Europes population and leaving governments grappling with the human and economic costs of a rapidly warming climateAccording to the AFP analysis based on data from the European Drought Observatory and population figures from the Joint Research Centre around 410 million people were affected in the latter half of June That is significantly higher than the 320 million people impacted during Europes devastating 2003 heatwaveThe latest heatwave stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to Ukraine covering large parts of France Spain Italy Germany and the BalkansMillions exposed to prolonged extreme heatThe analysis found that almost the entire population of mainland France along with more than threequarters of the populations of Spain and Italy experienced temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius at least once during the heatwaveIn parts of Catalonia in northeastern Spain temperatures remained above 35 degrees Celsius for at least 16 consecutive days making it one of the longest stretches of extreme heat recorded during the eventNearly 50 million people across Europe experienced temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius on 10 or more days during the heatwaveThe worsthit areas includedAround 18 million people in central and southern FranceMore than 15 million people in northeastern and southwestern SpainAbout 12 million people in northern Italy particularly the Po ValleyAlthough central and eastern Europe experienced fewer days above 35 degrees Celsius several countries still recorded new temperature records AFP reportedRecords tumble across EuropeThe June heatwave broke temperature records across much of Europe with countries from the Atlantic coast to Central Europe registering unprecedented temperaturesWestern Europe bears the bruntFrance experienced its hottest June on record including its warmest nights ever The country recorded nearly a 30 per cent increase in deaths during the week beginning June 22 while the Paris region saw a 62 per cent riseSpain and Italy also recorded recordbreaking temperatures along with several neighbouring countriesThe United Kingdom also saw record heat with England recording its hottest June since 1884 The Met Office said the exceptional warmth was driven by an intense heatwave while the provisional June high reached 377 degrees Celsius in NorfolkIn Belgium 1222 excess deaths were recorded between June 18 and 29mdash39 per cent above normalmdashwith nearly half of the victims aged 85 or older The country also endured seven consecutive days of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius while parts of Brussels and other regions saw temperatures rise to between 38 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees CelsiusMeanwhile Switzerland registered its warmest June on recordCentral and Eastern Europe sees unprecedented highsGermany Poland Slovakia the Czech Republic and Hungary also broke alltime temperature records during the heatwaveOfficials noted that while the June heatwave was more intense than the deadly 2003 event its overall impact has so far been less severe because of improved preparednessDaily life disrupted across the continentSchools and music festivals were forced to close or cancel events while governments faced renewed debate over whether to encourage wider use of air conditioning Demand for fans and air conditioners surged in countries such as the United Kingdom where cooling systems remain uncommon in homesClimate experts have urged governments to redesign infrastructure to better cope with increasingly hot summersScientists blame climate changeClimate researchers say the intensity of the June heatwave bears the clear signature of global warming The World Weather Attribution group said climate change was unequivocally responsible for making the heatwave so intenseAccording to the scientists such extreme June temperatures would have been virtually impossible just 50 years agoWith AFP Inputs