Soaring temperatures broke records across Europe for the third day running on Wednesday, affecting tens of millions of people.
The June heatwave has put a significant strain on western Europe, where air conditioning to cool homes, businesses and public buildings is not as common as in southern parts of the Continent.
An analysis by AFP news agency estimated at least 94 million people in Europe, predominantly those living in France and Spain, were facing temperatures above 35 degrees.
Values climbed to 41 degrees in Nantes and surrounding areas in western France, with Paris experiencing similar highs.
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On Tuesday, the temperature reached 44.3 degrees in Pissos, outside Bordeaux, in the southwest.
Météo France, the state meteorological institute, said nationwide temperatures on Tuesday were the highest recorded in the country for this point in the summer.
A third of France’s administrative regions were on notice for an elevated risk of forest fires due to the spiking temperatures, low humidity, winds and dry ground conditions.
Spain’s forecasting agency Aemet continued to warn that parts of the country faced “significant danger” from the extraordinarily high temperatures, which surpassed 40 degrees in some northern regions. The state agency forecast a “notable drop” in temperatures on Thursday.
Advice to help withstand the heatwave issued to Brussels-based officials working in EU institutions included a recommendation for staff to eat plenty of fruit, drink a glass of water every hour, and wear a hat or cap when outside.
The internal guidance circulated to EU officials this week, seen by The Irish Times, recommended staff opt for light, cotton clothing in the office. “If the heat becomes unbearable, please advise your line manager immediately,” noted the guidance.
Temperatures in the Belgian capital are forecast to remain at about 35 degrees for the rest of the week, before the weather starts to cool from Sunday.
Britain’s Met Office said Wednesday had provisionally been the hottest day in June since records began. Temperatures reached 35.8 degrees at a weather station in west Sussex, eclipsing a previous record set during a famous 1976 heatwave.
The forecaster said cooler conditions were expected in Britain later this week, though they would come with a chance of thunderstorms.
World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on political leaders to prioritise efforts to curb the emissions that were fuelling the climate crisis.
“Temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future,” he said. “We cannot afford further delay,” the head of the international health agency wrote in a post on X.
