PARIS (AP) — Europe sizzled in its first major heat wave of the summer on Tuesday, as Barcelona recorded its hottest June in over a century and the summit of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.
Health warnings remained in effect in several countries. The abnormally hot weather “is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress” with temperatures more typical of July and August, said Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Spain: Record temperatures
AP AUDIO: Barcelona records the hottest June ever as a heat wave grips Europe
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports France and the rest of Europe are still in the grips of the first major heat wave this summer with health warnings in effect, even as conditions began to improve.
Barcelona’s Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature for last month of 26 C (78 F), breaking records since the data began in 1914. It said a single-day high of 37.9 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for June was recorded Monday. Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean.
Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain’s weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press the “very intense heat wave” is clearly linked to global warming.
Pascual said inhabitants of the Mediterranean region are not being helped by the rising sea temperatures, which greatly reduce any cooling effects of a nearby body of water. Spain’s weather service said recent surface temperatures for the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands are 5 to 6 degrees Celsius higher than average.
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.
Madrid was forecast to reach 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).
“We’re just surviving,” said Miguel Sopera, 63. “At night it’s impossible due to the terrible heat.”
France: Closed schools
Temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Paris. National weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were partially or fully closed.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit was closed until Thursday for “everyone’s comfort and safety.”
Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius expected every year by 2100.
Italy: A blackout
Italy’s health ministry said 17 of the country’s 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave.
In Florence, where temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, parts of the city center experienced a blackout following a surge in electricity demand. Backup systems restored power, energy company Enel said.
Near Bologna, 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 but heat was suspected.
The Netherlands: Water gun fight
In the Dutch town of Soest, first responders said they were bringing a fire hose to an evening water gun fight.
“Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you’re guaranteed to get soaked!” the firefighters said on social media.
Portugal: A record high
The weather service in a statement Monday night confirmed 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.
Turkey: Wildfires
Firefighters across Turkey tried to contain wildfires that have forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents for the third consecutive day.
Czech Republic: Polar bears
Temperatures were expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by Wednesday in parts of the Czech Republic.
The Prague zoo distributed up to 10 metric tons of ice, with special attention given to polar bears. Zoo director Miroslav Bobek said twin brother bears Aleut and Gregor discovered frozen pieces of squid.
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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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