By Samuel Petrequin and Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
PARIS — Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century, the summit of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors and hundreds of French schools shut on Tuesday as Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer.
Health warnings remained in effect in several European countries. The worst was felt in southern Europe while punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The abnormally hot weather “is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress” with temperatures in June more typical of July and August, stated Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This June is likely to be among the five hottest on record, it stated.
Barcelona’s Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 26 C (78 F), breaking records since books were started in 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6 C in 2003. The same weather station stated that a single-day high of 37.9 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for June was recorded Monday.
Hot Mediterranean soup
Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean in Spain’s northeastern corner. But most of the countest has been gripped by the extreme heat.
“We are seeing these temperatures becautilize we are experiencing a very intense heat wave that has come early in the summer and that is clearly linked to global warming,” Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain’s weather service in Barcelona, notified The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Pascual added that the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region are not being supported by the rising sea temperatures, which greatly reduces any cooling effects of a nearby body of water. Spain’s weather service stated that recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are between 5-6 degrees Celsius higher than average.
“With water surface temperatures from 26-30 Celsius (78-86 F), it is difficult for our nights to be refreshing,” he stated.
Spain’s national average for June of 23.6 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit) was 0.8 C hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017. It was also the first time that June was hotter than the average temperatures for both July and August.
Spain also saw a new high mark for June established on Saturday when 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded in the southern province of Huelva.
The streets were scorching as well in Spain’s capital, with Madrid forecast to reach 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit), as people attempted to keep cool by drinking refrigerated drinks and sticking to the shade. But the hot nights offered little relief.
“Today is very bad, but yesterday wasn’t any better. So we’re just surviving,” stated Miguel Sopera, 63. “At night it’s impossible due to the terrible heat.”
France suffocates
In France, the national weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit. More than 1,300 schools in the countest were partially or fully closed.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were notified to postpone their visits as the summit of the city’s landmark was closed until Thursday. The operators stated the closure was “to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety.”
Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
Man dies in Italy
Farther south, 17 of Italy’s 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the health ministest.
There were torrential rains in Italy’s north on Monday and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks.
Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert Tuesday, the 46-year-old owner of a construction company collapsed and died while repaving a school parking lot, state-run RAI reported. An autopsy was being conducted to determine the cautilize, but heat was suspected.
The Netherlands is sweating
In the Dutch town of Soest, first responders stated they were bringing a firehose to an early evening water gun fight.
“Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, becautilize you’re guaranteed to receive soaked!” the firefighters stated in an Instagram post.
Portugal’s record
The Portuguese weather service issued a statement Monday night confirming the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon. The prior record was 44.9 degrees Celsius (112 degrees Fahrenheit) in 2017.
Wildfires in Turkey
Firefighters across Turkey attempted to contain wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents for the third consecutive day.
Relieving animals in Prague
Temperatures were expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by Wednesday in large parts of the Czech Republic, including the capital.
The Prague zoo distributed up to 10 metric tons of ice daily across the park, with special attention given to polar bears native to the Arctic.
Zoo director Miroslav Bobek stated twin brother bears Aleut and Gregor viewed pleased when they found parts of their open-air enclosure covered with a thick layer of ice Tuesday morning. They rolled on their backs and discovered frozen pieces of squid.
Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Iain Sullivan in Madrid, Mike Corder in The Netherlands, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, Karel Janicek in Prague and David Biller in Rome contributed to this report.
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