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Europe sweats through new heatwave, with worse to come

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PARIS: France banned alcohol in red-alert areas Sunday (Jun 21), Spain and Germany cancelled sports events and Britain warned of “tropical nights” as Europe sweltered through a heatwave threatening to break June temperature records.

Less than a month after a May heatwave that set records in several European countries, the continent is facing a new bout of extreme weather, with temperatures set to rise even further in the coming days.

Scientists have shown that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, primarily caused by burning coal, oil and gas, and warn they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.

Here is a roundup of the impacts as the latest heatwave starts in Europe.

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France

France went ahead with its annual street music festival, the beloved Fete de la Musique, despite the boiling heat.

But to minimise health risks and prevent potential public disturbances, the government announced a ban on alcohol consumption in public places during the festivities in departments under red alert.

And the Louvre museum in Paris scrapped a free concert under its famous glass pyramid.

Authorities placed a record 35 departments, roughly a third of the country, on red alert.

That number will rise Monday to 49 of France’s 96 mainland departments, or half the country, according to the national weather service.

In Paris, people swarmed the Canal Saint-Martin, where authorities authorised swimming so residents could cool off.

Germany

Organisers suspended the final of the Berlin Open tennis tournament and cleared everyone out of the event location because of “severe weather conditions”.

The mercury in the German capital topped 30C across the weekend, with storms sweeping across much of the region on Sunday.

Spain

In Spain, the public screening in Madrid of the national football team’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia was cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the capital, officials said.

Spain declared its first official heatwave of the year from Sunday through Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to reach 44C in some areas.

In Spain and neighbouring Portugal, people swarmed beaches in giant crowds, braved the streets clutching hand-held fans or used umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as the weekend turned scorchingly hot.

Switzerland

The Swiss weather service warned of a “strong heatwave” bringing temperatures of up to 37C, with alerts in lower-altitude regions, and said it was unclear when it would end.

Balkans

Orange weather alerts for high temperatures were predicted for parts of Croatia and Serbia in the coming days, with temperatures reaching 35C.

Croatian authorities issued health recommendations for coping with extreme heat, while North Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro also braced for extreme temperatures.

Britain

Britain’s weather service issued amber warnings for extreme heat from Monday to Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 38C in England and Wales in the coming days.

“Overnight temperatures will also be very high, with widespread Tropical Nights, where the temperature does not drop below 20C, across southern parts of England,” the Met Office said.

Source: AFP/fs

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