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Heatwave triggers bans
France restricted public alcohol consumption and canceled some outdoor sports events as a heat wave scorched parts of Europe, with about a third of France under a heat red alert Sunday.
“About a third of France is under the heat red alert Sunday”
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened a government heat crisis meeting and ordered government ministers to plan for better adapting France to heat waves in the future — including "via air conditioning, if necessary."
The forecast for Sunday included temperatures expected to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, and the forecast for Monday was even hotter.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower and other venues set up misting stations to cool crowds, while tourists in Rome sought relief in fountains.
The World Health Organization’s Europe office said this month that more than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable.
Crowds, drownings, and warnings
As temperatures climbed, authorities across Europe issued heat warnings and reshaped daily life, including suspending outdoor sports and cultural activities in Spain’s Basque Country.
In Germany, a 23-year-old man drowned Saturday in a lake near Rheinstetten in Baden-Württemberg, and three other people were missing after swimming in the Rhine River, according to dpa and a police spokeswoman.
In France, the government ordered 845 schools to close Monday and canceled or limited some outdoor events while emergency services and military forces were placed on wildfire alert.
The Associated Press reported that "With this heat, it’s the only way to have fun while going out," as swimmer Nicolas Cruz described splashing in Paris’s Canal Saint Martin.
The AP also quoted Zouzou Hobbs saying, "But it’s hot. I’m going to risk it," as she decided to swim to cool off before Music Day dancing.
What’s at stake next
France’s heat measures extended beyond alcohol rules to infrastructure and public health, with authorities tightening surveillance of water supplies to France’s many nuclear reactors and dispatching thousands of extra rail staff to deal with potential problems as the heat threatened rails and electrical cables.
“ordered 845 schools to close Monday”
The CBS report said French trains were canceled, and the national rail authority dispatched thousands of extra staff as heat threatened rails and electrical cables.
In Britain, the Met Office issued an "extreme heat" warning for much of southern England and parts of Wales on Monday and Tuesday, saying temperatures could exceed 95 degrees.
The Anadolu Ajansı report said France placed 35 of its 96 mainland departments under the highest "red" heat alert on Sunday, with the number expected to rise to 49 on Monday.
Anadolu Ajansı also quoted Banque de France governor Emmanuel Moulin warning that more frequent heat waves "would inevitably have a negative impact on economic activity and the country's growth potential" over the medium and long term.
