A severe heatwave across Europe has caused at least 40 drowning deaths in France since last Thursday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed, according to BBC News and the Associated Press. Additional safety incidents occurred as citizens sought relief from the blistering heat by swimming in unmonitored lakes, rivers, and canals. The French Prime Minister shared these numbers during an emergency crisis meeting, describing the situation as a tragic scourge and ordering cabinet ministers to cancel scheduled travel plans.
Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari warned French radio that too many people were swimming in unsupervised reservoirs and rivers without taking the extreme risks into account. France, along with Spain and Italy, has been hardest hit by this early summer heatwave, which scientists heavily link to human-induced climate change. Officials across the continent are urging residents to take health warnings seriously as temperatures break historical records.
France`s national weather service, Meteo France, reported that the country experienced its hottest June day on record and its hottest night, with a minimum national average of 21.6 degrees Celsius. Red alerts have been expanded to 54 out of 96 mainland departments, directly affecting an estimated 39 million people. Over 1,350 schools have been closed, and the Eiffel Tower adjusted its operations by closing early in the afternoon to protect visitors from the blistering heat. Additionally, a reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant in southwestern France was shut down because the cooling water from the Garonne River exceeded the environmental safety threshold of 28 degrees Celsius.
In Spain, the state weather service Aemet issued red alerts for Andalusia, Cantabria, and the Basque Country as temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius in over 100 weather stations, peaking at 45 degrees Celsius in Andujar. The agency noted that June heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent, with ten recorded since 2000 compared to only two in the previous 25 years. Meanwhile, Italy declared a red heatwave alert in 15 major cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin, and Venice, causing severe strain on the local power grids and triggering temporary blackouts due to surging air-conditioning demands. Wholesale electricity prices in Spain surged past 100 euros per megawatt-hour for the first time since March.
The extreme heat has led to several tragic fatalities, including a 13-year-old girl who drowned in the River Seine at Fontaine-La Port and two young children found dead inside a hot vehicle in the southern town of Carpentras. In Germany, the German Lifesaving Association reported multiple drowning incidents over the weekend, with at least five people dying in various lakes and rivers as temperatures climbed toward 40 degrees Celsius. Across the English Channel, British authorities closed several schools and reported rail transport disruptions as the UK braced for record-breaking June temperatures. What remains unclear is the exact duration of this exceptional heat dome and its long-term economic impact on European agricultural outputs and energy security.
