'Mini version of hell': Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain
Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called โheat domeโ of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38ยฐC, while parts of Italy imposed restrictions on working outdoors. In the UK, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8ยฐC at Kew Gardens, southwest London โ a full two degrees above the previous high. โThis heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,โ it said on X. โThe weather here, itโs like a mini version of hell. Itโs boiling. Itโs like really hot,โ said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17ยฐC or 18C at this time of year. Lindy Brand-Daloze, a 66-year-old Australian administrator who has been living in London for 12 years, said: โItโs warm, but itโs climate change, isnโt it? So, you know, (we have) probably got to get used to this.โ Scientists say human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts and floods more intense, resulting in temperature records being broken more frequently. Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told AFP the increase in extreme temperatures was โa good indication of climate change in actionโ and more likely to become โthe new normโ. Climate advisers last week warned the UK government that the country was โbuilt for a climate that no longer existsโ and urged it to adapt infrastructure like schools and hospitals for a warming planet. In 2022, temperatures in the UK soared above 40ยฐC for the first time since records began. Heatwave alert Across the Channel, weather agency Meteo-France said โdozensโ of temperature records were broken in several French cities, as it placed eight western regions under a heatwave alert. The exceptionally high temperatures were expected to last until the weekend. On Monday, the western town of Bergerac recorded a high of 34.7ยฐC, with the cities of Nantes and Angers not far behind. On Tuesday, heat of between 32ยฐC and 35ยฐC was expected across much of the western region of Brittany, โwith peaks of 36ยฐ or even 37ยฐC expected in the south of the countryโ, Meteo-France said. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to hold a meeting Thursday with key ministers to go over government preparations for the heatwave. The capital, Paris, on Saturday notched up its first temperature above 30ยฐC of the year, hitting 31.9ยฐC. On Sunday, a man died during a 10-kilometre running race in Paris, civil defence services said, while 10 more had to be taken to hospital in critical condition after a race in the capitalโs suburb of Maisons-Alfort, the authorities said. A 28-year-old woman also died of heatstroke at an indoor athletics meeting in the eastern Rhone region. Outdoor work restricted In Spain, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned the โextraordinarily high temperatures for this time of yearโ will continue across the country all week, except in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwest coast of Africa. โWidespread tropical nightsโ are also forecast in southwestern Spain from Wednesday, with temperatures peaking from Wednesday to Friday at between 36ยฐC and 38ยฐC, it wrote on X. Farther east, Italyโs Lazio region, which includes Rome, on Monday approved rules limiting work in conditions โwith prolonged exposure in the sunโ between 12pm and 4pm. The measures apply, for example, to farms, construction sites and in the logistics sector and apply until September 15. Similar rules had been put in place last year but only from May 30.