Western Europe swelters as spring heatwave threatens more records

PARIS: Western Europe endured another day of unusually high temperatures on Tuesday as an early-season heatwave pushed readings far above typical May levels, with forecasters warning that more records could fall.

The hot spell has been driven by a heat dome carrying warm air from northern Africa and trapping it beneath a high-pressure system over western Europe. Britain and France both said Monday was their hottest May day on record, while France’s weather agency said temperatures on Tuesday were expected to climb even higher.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is intensifying extreme weather, making heatwaves, droughts and floods both more frequent and more severe. According to data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Europe has warmed faster than any other continent since 1990, followed by Asia and then North America.

In France, authorities said the heatwave had been linked to at least seven deaths, including five drownings, as many people headed to beaches and other swimming spots to escape the heat. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told TF1, "What I can say today is that there have been seven deaths directly or indirectly related to the heat."

Records in Britain, France and Ireland

The United Kingdom’s Met Office said temperatures reached 34.8°C at Kew Gardens in southwest London on Monday, beating the previous May record by two degrees. The agency said cooler conditions were expected later in the week.

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told AFP the rise in extreme temperatures was, "a good indication of climate change in action and said such conditions were increasingly likely to become the new norm . In Ireland, Met Eireann data showed that two weather stations recorded 28.8°C, setting a new May record amid the same spell of hot weather. Across the Channel, temperatures reached 33°C at Roland Garros in Paris, where tennis players and spectators faced stifling conditions. After 34.7°C was recorded in Bergerac in western France on Monday, Meteo-France forecast highs of 36°C in some areas on Tuesday and said the heat was likely to continue at least until the end of the week. Public concern and disruption People in several countries described the heat as unusual for this point in the year. Chloe Voisin, a 22-year-old student visiting Bordeaux, told AFP: It’s a bit worrying because it’s not really normal at this time of year, but unfortunately, I think this is going to become the norm in France."

In London, Swiss tourist Philippe Bignens, 56, said he and his father changed their plans and returned to their hotel to avoid the hottest part of the day. He told AFP, "If you’re not concerned about global warming, you must be deaf, blind altogether, right? So it is there, yes. We have to be concerned and try to do something about it."

Renata Stankeviciute, a 43-year-old Lithuanian chef living in London, told AFP the conditions were especially difficult for older people and for those working indoors in hot environments. She said, "It is worrying, because it’s… very hard watching older people in heat, like suffering a lot."

She added, "I’m working in the kitchen, so it’s atrocious."

In southwestern France, Thomas Dupuy, who was at a beach in Anglet with his two young children, said he was concerned about safety because lifeguard supervision in many places does not begin until July. He told AFP, "We were just wondering this morning whether the beach was supervised."

He added, "I’m extremely careful for myself, for my children who can’t swim yet and We know the currents can pull you out, the Atlantic beaches are dangerous."

Impact on work and agriculture

The heat also affected work and farming. In southern France, fruit grower Benjamin Boisson said sharp temperature swings were raising concerns about output and storage. He said an earlier warm spell had already forced him to begin harvesting apricots on May 1, five days ahead of schedule.

Boisson told AFP, "That may not seem like much, but it changes everything. The major retailers weren’t ready and are still selling Spanish apricots when they should have switched over to French ones."

Elsewhere in southern Europe, Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, Aemet, warned of

extraordinarily high temperatures for this time of year

across the country throughout the week, except in the Canary Islands. It also said "Widespread tropical nights" were expected in southwestern Spain from Wednesday, with temperatures from Wednesday to Friday forecast to peak between 36°C and 38°C.

In Italy, the Lazio regional government, which includes Rome, approved rules on Monday restricting work involving prolonged exposure to the sun between 12:30pm and 4:00pm.