A Spanish monitoring agency said an estimated 212 deaths could be attributed to the heat wave since Sunday. Five people in Italy have died from heat exposure this week, the country’s main news agency said. Share full article182ParisDmitry Kostyukov for The New York TimesLondonJoseph Horton for The New York TimesLondonKin Cheung/Associated PressLondonJoseph Horton for The New York TimesParisGonzalo Fuentes/ReutersParisJoann Pai for The New York TimesNantes, FranceStephane Mahe/ReutersTilburg, the NetherlandsRob Engelaar/ANP, via Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRomeAndrew Medichini/Associated PressYork, EnglandOli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesParis Abdul Saboor/ReutersLyon, FranceOlivier Chassignole/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesLondonToby Shepheard/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesParisSimon Wohlfahrt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Latest PinnedLynsey ChutelNazaneen GhaffarAurelien Breeden and Zane Irwin Here’s the latest.As Europe broiled under heat that is testing the continent’s ability to adapt to extreme weather, temperatures in Britain on Thursday broke records that were set just a day prior. In southwest England, temperatures of 36.4 degrees Celsius, or 97.5 Fahrenheit, were recorded in the early afternoon and were expected to rise. The stifling heat wave — the second in two months — has disrupted education, transportation and other aspects of daily life for millions of people, with officials warning that older people or those who work outdoors, like on construction sites, are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat. In Spain, where temperatures soared past 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 Fahrenheit, over several days, government statistical models suggest more than 200 deaths ultimately could be attributed to the heat wave. The institute cautioned that the figures were estimates but officials and experts say there is a clear correlation between extreme temperatures and serious health issues. In Italy, five people have died from heat exposure this week, according to the country’s main news agency, ANSA. Several of the victims died while they were working outside, and a homeless man died in Naples, highlighting the vulnerability of those who had little choice but to be outside. In France, at least 40 people have drowned since the latest heat wave began in the middle of last week, many of them teenagers swimming in unsupervised areas. Across much of Western Europe, temperatures remained in the high 30s to low 40s Celsius, or around 100 Fahrenheit, on Thursday afternoon. Paris reached 39.6 Celsius, or 103.3 Fahrenheit, and was forecast to reach 42 Celsius later in the day. More than a dozen countries were under high-level heat warnings on Thursday, including Austria, Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and Sweden. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common and severe because of climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels, experts say. Europe is warming faster than any other continent, including in countries that are some of the least accustomed to extreme heat. In Britain and France, for instance, many buildings don’t just lack air conditioning — they are also designed to retain heat. The heat is also testing infrastructure. At one point on Tuesday, nearly 120,000 homes lost electricity in France as the nation’s power grid struggled to meet demand, the national network, RTE, said. In southwest France, the authorities shut down a nuclear plant because the water temperature in the river, used to cool its reactor, was dangerously hot. Rail journeys in Britain, Germany and Switzerland were delayed or canceled as the heat risked buckling railway tracks. Forecasters said temperatures were expected to gradually cool down across western Europe starting on Friday. Globally, it was the second-hottest May in 177 years of record-keeping, after 2024, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Elsewhere, a city in Pakistan set a new heat record in May of 51.5 degrees Celsius, or 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in some parts of northern India approached 50 degrees Celsius in May, forcing millions of workers to choose between falling sick and getting paid. Latest forecast: Temperatures in many parts of the continent are expected to stay high. Here’s what to know. Staying cool: Hydration is key to avoiding feeling sick in extreme temperatures. Here are some ways to beat the heat. “Blood rain”: Dust from the Sahara could add an apocalyptic hue to the unrelenting heat. Offbeat air-conditioning: Belgium has offered some unconventional ideas to get a break from the scorching sun. Latest Victims of France’s Heat Wave: Children Locked in Family CarsImageAlong the seine in Paris on Wednesday.Credit...Joann Pai for The New York TimesThree children were found dead in vehicles in France this week, prosecutors said, in a tragic sign of how Europe’s record-breaking heat wave is taking a growing toll among its most vulnerable. In the latest incident, a 3-year-old boy was found dead in the family car on Wednesday evening, according to the public prosecutor in Pontoise, north of Paris, where temperatures rose higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit that day. Emergency responders, called to the home, could not resuscitate the child, who was pronounced dead at 7:35 p.m. The prosecutor said it appeared the boy had locked himself inside the vehicle while his mother was taking a nap and his father was working in the yard. The child’s mother, who was in shock, has been hospitalized. Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation, with potential charges of involuntary manslaughter. It was the second case of children dying in vehicles in France this week. On Monday, two children, ages 2 and 4, were found unresponsive in a family car, that was parked outside their home in Carpentras, in southeastern France, the local prosecutor said. Medical examiners said it was probable that they died from exposure to excessive heat, the prosecutor said. The deaths came as the French government announced that 40 people had drowned in heat wave-related accidents between June 18 and June 23, when thousands of people jumped into canals, rivers and other waterways for relief. To offer children a refuge from overheated houses and classrooms, French companies are allowing employees to bring their children to offices, which are among the few air-conditioned places in France. Back Market, a French company that sells refurbished phones and laptops, posted a message on LinkedIn saying children were welcome at the office as part of their “heat wave plan.” Omnicom Media France, the French division of a global media communications agency, opened their doors to children for the second consecutive year. “It was an obvious choice for us,” the company said in a message posted on LinkedIn, “given that many schools were closed and parents needed to make arrangements so they could work in good conditions.” After nearly a week of scorching heat, France is beginning to stagger. The health minister, Stéphanie Rist, told reporters that in the past 24 hours, Paris had recorded four times the normal rate of people suffering cardiac arrest. A group of teachers’ unions demanded that government close schools, citing a spike in the number of staff members fainting or having to go to the emergency room. The country’s state-owned train operator, S.N.C.F., said it had canceled 10 percent of its trains on Thursday because of the heat wave. Christophe Fanichet, the company’s chief executive, said that the company would refund passengers who wanted to cancel trips and allow them to rebook free of charge. Note: Data is as of Source: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather. William B. Davis and Bea Malsky/The New York Times Other countries in Western Europe are also having another scorching day, with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s Celsius and rising. Paris has reached 39.6 degrees Celsius (103.3 Fahrenheit), with a high of 42 expected. Germany and Belgium are sweltering, too, with temperatures in some areas having reached 37 degrees Celsius by early afternoon. Temperatures have reached 36.4 Celsius (97.5 Fahrenheit) in Yeovilton in southwest England — the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain in June, breaking a record set just a day ago. (These findings from the Met Office, Britain’s weather service, are provisional and won’t become official for days.) Before Wednesday, the previous record had stood since 1976. Temperatures are expected to keep rising, with the Met Office forecasting a high of 38 degrees Celsius for southern England and Wales. One of East London’s most popular swimming pools, the London Fields Lido, was unsurprisingly packed on Thursday as Britain endured another day of extreme heat. Dale Dewison, who lives nearby, said he was there for the third time in two days. “Basically, I’ve moved in,” he said. Mr. Dewison’s apartment, like most in London, has no air-conditioning, and he said the temperature there had reached 45 degrees Celsius, or 113 Fahrenheit. He said he was worried about future heat waves and their effects on nature. “This is a bit mad,” he said. The Uffizi Galleries restrict access amid soaring temperatures in Italy.ImageA sign at the Uffizi on Wednesday informing visitors that the ticket office would remain closed for the rest of the day.Credit...Alberto Pizzoli/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe Uffizi Galleries in Florence have halted online ticket sales through Sunday after extreme heat pushed its air-conditioning system to the brink of collapse, the museum said on Thursday. For now, only visitors with existing reservations or tickets bought in person will be able to visit the galleries, which house one of the best-known collections of Renaissance art, including Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” The restrictions, the Uffizi said, were intended to keep attendance at 50 percent of the maximum capacity.
Original Source: NYTimes
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