Record heatwave grips Europe as France warns death toll set to rise

PARIS/ROME: Temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Europe on Sunday ‌as storms moved into other areas, with France reporting 1,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave.

The French public health agency said most of the heat-related fatalities involved older people, warning that the number was expected to rise as more information became available about deaths in residential care and ​private homes.

Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, and ​the blistering conditions have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systems.

Europe braces for prolonged heatwave as temperatures approach 40°C

The heatwave would have been “virtually ⁠impossible” without human-caused climate change, which has made this week’s soaring night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have ​been just two decades ago, according to scientists.

Sweltering heat

Temperatures were forecast to near or top 40 C (104 F) in Germany, Poland ​and Italy, while storms broke out in parts of France, causing further disruption to travel and power supplies.

In Germany, train services were reduced on a major rail line in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and trams were suspended in the eastern city of Leipzig. Many people hunkered ​down at home, reluctant to go outside until the sun went down, local media reported.

The extreme heat has also affected ​Europe’s rivers, depleting and warming their waters, and causing problems for electricity generation and agriculture.

Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant will likely need to reduce ‌output again ⁠on Sunday due to the high temperature of the Danube River that it uses as a coolant, the government said.

In Italy, the flow of the Po has dwindled, allowing seawater to advance as far as 18 km (11 miles) inland and raising fears for agriculture and protected wetlands in the river delta.

Records tumble as European heatwave moves east

Dozens of people seeking relief from the heat are reported to have drowned.

In ​Italy, rescuers were searching for ​the husband of cabinet minister ⁠Eugenia Roccella, who went missing on Saturday while swimming in Lake Vico, 70 km (44 miles) from the capital, Rome.

Extreme heat eases in France

France’s weather agency said the extreme heat had diminished ​in most parts of the country, but some areas in the northeast were still under ​a heatwave advisory.

Health ⁠Minister Stephanie Rist told La Tribune newspaper that the impact of the heatwave could linger for as long as 10 days after the weather had ebbed.

“The episode is not finished,” she told broadcaster BFM.

The storms that battered portions of France late on Saturday brought ⁠in some ​cooler air, but they led to power outages for thousands of households.

As ​of early Sunday, 63,000 households in northern and central France were without power, electricity provider Enedis said in an update.