At least 40 people have drowned in France over the past five days as a punishing heatwave grips much of Europe, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. Most victims were young people swimming in unsupervised areas.Lecornu called the drownings a “tragic scourge” as he convened an emergency cabinet meeting. Marina Ferrari, a minister whose responsibilities include young people, said the drownings were mostly in lakes and canals . “During heat waves like this, it’s no small matter to go swimming in areas that aren’t supervised,” she told French radio.Among the fatalities was a 13-year-old girl who went for a dip with her family in the River Seine without knowing how to swim. A young professional footballer remained in critical condition after being pulled out of the River Rhône near Lyon . In Carpentras, southern France, two children aged two and four were found dead inside a family car on Monday.Also Read: 20 drown in France as people take to rivers, lakes to escape heatwave
‘Omega block’ heat dome settles over Europe
France recorded its hottest June day on record, with an average temperature of 29.8°C, and its hottest night at a minimum average of 21.6°C. More than half the country is on red alert, with Météo-France warning of “exceptionally high temperatures, both day and night” that could have a “strong health impact.”Forecasters expect Paris to hit 40°C this week, with parts of central France seeing 43°C. The current heatwave is the second in about a month, after record-breaking temperatures in May.
यूरोप के ज्यादातर देशों में चल रही जानलेवा लू।
Meteorologists attribute the extreme conditions to an “omega block” — a weather pattern named after the Greek letter Ω, with a bulge of warmer, settled high pressure held between two cooler low pressure systems. Under normal conditions, the jet stream carries weather systems steadily from west to east. But during an omega block, that flow becomes disrupted and can buckle dramatically north and south, isolating the pressure systems. The result is that hot, still air gets lodged over the same area.Omega blocks typically last between three and 10 days, but can persist for weeks. Under the high-pressure area in the centre, conditions become hot and dry. The high pressure also suppresses cloud formation, resulting in clear, sunny skies that allow temperatures to climb.Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute described the phenomenon as “the lid of a saucepan,” adding: “It has never been this hot, for so long, this early in the year.”Britain lies on the boundary between the high-pressure system and cooler air to the northwest, producing intense heat in the south and east, and cooler, wetter conditions in the north and west, according to the UK Met Office.
Key developments across Europe:
Eiffel Tower: Closed early at 4pm on Tuesday and expected to do so again on WednesdayLouvre: Bringing forward closing time to 4pm from Wednesday to SaturdayNuclear plant: Golfech in southwestern France shut down because river water reached 28°C, the legal limit for coolingSchools: 845 schools closed on Monday, with another 1,800 allowing early dismissalSpain: Red alerts in Andalusia, Cantabria and Basque Country; temperatures could top 44°CUK: Met Office issued rare red warning for extreme heat, indicating risk to lifeItaly: Red alerts in 15 cities, including Rome, Milan, Florence, Turin and VeniceGermany: Six fatal swimming incidents reported; Lifesaving Association warns men overestimate their abilitiesNetherlands: Code Orange alert issuedBelgium: National heat plan activated for only the second time
