Many areas in Western and Southern Europe are grappling with a heavy heat wave unusual for May, which is expected to continue affecting them well into the week. Experts see the exceptional heat wave as further evidence of the effects of climate change, which in recent years has dramatically intensified the heat waves hitting Europe, making them not only more frequent and more powerful but also arriving earlier and earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, Israel is expected to see pleasant weather today, Tuesday, with a slight rise in temperatures Wednesday.
In France, the heat wave is already suspected of causing two deaths at sporting events. On Sunday, a 53-year-old man died during a race in Paris after suffering a heart attack. Although officials have not yet determined that his death was caused by the heavy heat, French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari linked the two, saying it was "a reminder that holding sporting events in extreme heat requires maximum caution."
Another death was reported Monday at a sporting event in Lyon, where reports said a woman died after also suffering a heart attack. France’s meteorological service said local May temperature records had been broken in at least 350 communities, with temperatures in the west of the country reaching 37°C.
The newspaper Le Parisien reported on a "historic" heat wave that, according to preliminary data, had already broken a 100-year record for May. "France has never experienced such a hot day in May," it reported, citing forecasters’ estimates that the heat wave would continue until the weekend, with temperatures possibly reaching 40°C on Thursday and Friday.
"This is an unprecedented event with a one-in-1,000 chance of occurring at this time of year based on the climate between 1979 and 2025, and completely impossible in the preindustrial era," climate scientist Christophe Cassou told Le Monde.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a meeting with several ministers on Thursday to discuss preparations for the heat wave, and 31 French departments were placed under heat warnings, eight of them under an "orange" alert, the second-highest level. It was the first time France’s hot-weather warning system had been activated in May since the country began using it in 2004.
France’s meteorological service said the heat wave in Western and Southern Europe was caused by a "heat dome," in which hot air originating in Morocco was trapped beneath a higher layer of high atmospheric pressure. It warned that Europe is expected to experience such events "more and more often, with increasing intensity, and earlier and earlier in the year."
14 View gallery
Competitors in the traditional cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire
(Photo: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
The temperatures brought by this "heat dome" are about 12-13 degrees above average, and Britain on Monday broke a national temperature record for May, with 33.5°C recorded near London’s Heathrow Airport. The previous record of 32.8°C was set in 1922 and matched in 1944. "This heat is unusual for the UK even in the middle of summer, let alone in May," Britain’s meteorological service said.
"It’s like a mini version of hell. We’re cooking. It’s really hot," 10-year-old Lisa Nizari told AFP in London, where temperatures at this time of year average only 17°C-18°C. Lindy Brand-Dalloz, a 66-year-old Australian who has lived in London for 12 years, said: "It’s hot, but this is climate change, isn’t it? We probably have to get used to it."
The heat wave is hitting Britain during a national bank holiday, and several events were canceled or scaled back. In Surrey, for example, organizers announced that the annual donkey derby would not include donkeys or a dog show, "for the welfare of the animals." In Gloucestershire, however, thousands of visitors battled the scorching heat to watch the traditional cheese rolling race, in which competitors run down a hill after a wheel of cheese.
14 View gallery
Cooling off in the water in North Yorkshire, with the dog not forgotten
(Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
Authorities in Spain are also preparing for extreme weather, warning that temperatures could reach up to 40°C in some areas between Wednesday and Friday. The meteorological service also warned of hot and "tropical" nights. In Italy, authorities in the Lazio region, whose capital is Rome, imposed restrictions on work involving prolonged exposure to the sun, such as agriculture and construction, between noon and 4 p.m. The restrictions will remain in place until September 15. Similar restrictions were imposed last year, but only took effect at the end of May.
Greg Dewhurst, a forecaster with Britain’s meteorological service, told AFP that the heat wave is "a good indication of climate change in action," adding that there is a high likelihood the situation will become "the new normal." In its announcement on the May temperature record being broken, the service noted that a study conducted last year had already found that the likelihood of the record being broken this month had tripled because of climate change, which scientists believe is primarily the result of human activity, especially greenhouse gas emissions.
14 View gallery
Filling bottles at a drinking fountain in Madrid
(Photo: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
Europe also experienced an extreme heat wave last year, which led to widespread fires and many deaths. British researchers published a study in September examining data from 854 European cities, and said climate change was responsible for 68% of all deaths attributed to the high heat in Europe last summer, about 24,400 in total.
Heat can harm health in a variety of ways, and experts warn that the danger is greatest for the elderly, babies, people who work outdoors and those facing financial hardship. Estimates suggest that up to 480,000 people die worldwide each year because of heat, a higher toll than deaths caused by floods, earthquakes and hurricanes combined.
In Israel, the weather Tuesday is expected to be pleasant, with no significant change in temperatures, which will be near the seasonal average for late May. A slight rise in temperatures is expected Wednesday, mainly in the mountains, and skies will be clear to partly cloudy. On Thursday, temperatures are expected to drop slightly, mainly in the mountains, with clear to partly cloudy skies. On Friday, no significant change in temperatures is expected.