PARIS: Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records started over a century ago, Spain’s national weather service said on Tuesday as Europe remained in the grip of the first major heat wave this summer.
The Fabra Observatory reported an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (78 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking records since 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6 C in 2003. The same weather station said that a single-day high of 37.9 C (100 F) for June was recorded Monday.
Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean in Spain’s northeastern corner. But most of the country has been gripped by the extreme heat.
Health warnings remained in effect Tuesday in several European countries. Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40 C (104 F) in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Spain’s national average for June of 23.6 C (74 F) was 0.8 C hotter than the previous hottest June in 2017. It was also that first time that June was hotter than the average temperatures for both July and August.
Spain saw a new high mark for June established on Saturday when 46 C (114F) was recorded in the southern province of Huelva since national records were started in 1950.
“We are seeing these temperatures because we are experiencing a very intense heat wave that has come early in the summer and that is clearly linked to global warming,” Ramón Pascual, the regional delegate for Spain’s weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
France suffocates
In France, the national weather agency Météo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit. More than 1,300 schools were partially or fully closed in the country.
Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits as the summit of the city’s landmark was closed until Thursday.
Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4 C (39 F) warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40 C expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50 C (122 F).
Man dies in Italy
Farther south, 17 of Italy’s 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the health ministry.
There were torrential rains in Italy’s north on Monday and parts of Bardonecchia near Turin were covered in sludge after the Frejus river burst its banks. Near Bologna, one of the cities under a heat alert Tuesday, 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 to determine the cause, but heat was suspected. The CGIL labor union said the death of the man, whom it identified as Ait El Hajjam Brahim, owner of Veneto Pavimenti SAS, showed the need for improved measures to protect construction workers from heat exposure.
The Netherlands sweating
An annual event in Amsterdam to commemorate the end of slavery in former Dutch colonies was moved forward to avoid the hottest part of the day. People attending the event, including the city’s mayor, sat under white parasols and tried to keep cool with paper fans.
In the central town of Soest, first responders said they were bringing a firehose to an early evening water gun fight.
“Bring your water pistol and swimming clothes with you, because you’re guaranteed to get soaked!” the firefighters said in an Instagram post.
In the northern city of Groningen, organizers of an outdoor concert featuring veteran rocker Neil Young also took measures, including adding extra drinking water taps and providing free sunblock.
Portugal record
The Portuguese weather service issued a statement Monday night confirming the highest single temperature ever recorded in mainland Portugal for the month of June at 46.6 C (115 F) on June 29 in the town of Mora, west of Lisbon. The prior record was 44.9 C (112 F) in 2017.
Wildfires in Turkiye
Firefighters across Turkiye combated wildfires for a third consecutive day on Tuesday. The fires have damaged dozens of homes and forced the evacuation of some 50,000 residents.
The crews were nearing containment of two major fires in the Aegean province of İzmir and another in neighboring Manisa, Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said. They were however, struggling with a large, wind-driven fire still sweeping through the southern province of Hatay.
Relieving animals in Prague
Temperatures were expected to reach 37 C (98.6 F) by Wednesday in large parts of the Czech Republic, including the capital.
The Prague zoo took extraordinary measures to provide some relief to their animals as zookeepers started to distribute up to 10 metric tons of ice daily across the park.
The polar bears native to the Arctic are a major concern for the zoo, director Miroslav Bobek said.
Twin brothers Aleut and Gregor looked pleased when they found parts of their open-air enclosure covered with a thick layer of ice on Tuesday morning. They used the familiar substance to lie on it and roll on their backs. As a bonus, they discovered frozen pieces of squid among the pieces of ice.
