Europe hit by record heatwave
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Trains were slowed and holidaymakers flocked to swimming pools, beaches and lakes in Western Europe yesterday as another heatwave set new temperature records.
A host of French cities saw their highest levels on Tuesday since records began, with wine capital Bordeaux recording 41.2 degrees Celsius, beating the previous high of 40.7 degrees Celsius registered in August 2003, weather service Meteo-France said.
Forecasters predicted new highs in neighboring Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands, where the mercury was expected to hit or pass the previous record of 38.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, according to the Dutch weather office.
Many Dutch farmers are leaving their cows outside to sleep, rather than bringing them in at night, while some kindergartens have closed their doors.
Britain鈥檚 Met Office has said there is a chance that the UK temperature record of 38.5 degrees Celsius, which was recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2004, will also be passed today.
The operator of the British rail network, Network Rail, said it was slowing down trains in response to the extreme weather, which comes only weeks after another record-breaking heatwave in Europe in June.
鈥淓xtreme heat can cause overhead wires to sag and become damaged by fast trains. We slow down services to keep passengers safe when this happens,鈥 the company said on Twitter.
Across the area affected by the unusually high heat, stretching from France to Norway in the north, people sought out ways to cool off in lakes and rivers, leading to an increase in drowning incidents.
In London, police were searching for three people who have gone missing in the River Thames while swimming.
France鈥檚 weather office said the scorching conditions 鈥渞equire particular care, notably for vulnerable or exposed people鈥 with almost the country under an orange weather alert, the second-highest level.
Local authorities have placed restrictions on water usage in many areas due to drought-like conditions that have seen the ground and river water levels fall dramatically.
鈥淎t the moment, it鈥檚 tricky but under control but we need to be very vigilant,鈥 France鈥檚 Junior Environment Minister Emmanuelle Wargon said of national water levels on Tuesday, calling on people to show 鈥渃ivic responsibility鈥 to avoid wastage.
Water restrictions are in place in 73 out of 96 departments in mainland France, with the worst-affected areas in the Loire area of central France, as well as the southwest and the southeast.
While the heat spelt misery for some in sweaty homes and offices, it was a boon for millions of summer holidaymakers at the beach, as well as ice cream makers.
Animals in zoos in many countries are being fed food caked in ice or even frozen blood. Lions at the Fitilieu wildlife park in western France have been given chicken sorbet.
The second heatwave in two months has amplified concerns in Europe that human activity is heating the planet at a dangerous rate.
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