France is bracing for another day of exceptionally hot weather, with more than half the country remaining under a red heat alert on Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power in western Brittany, while a major wildfire was brought under control overnight in the Maine-et-Loire region.
It comes after the country experienced its hottest June day since records began on Tuesday, with an average temperature of 29.8C (85.54F) recorded.
The heatwave is expected to spread to other parts of western Europe on Wednesday, with an orange alert for dangerous weather in place for parts of the Netherlands.
Temperatures are expected to peak in the Netherlands and Belgium on Friday, while Germany is expected to see the mercury rise to 40C (104F) over the weekend.
The heatwave is also expected to spread to eastern Europe over the next few days, with severe heat warnings issued for countries including Poland, Croatia and Hungary for later in the week.
So far, France, Spain and Italy have been hardest hit by the heatwave.
Forty people have drowned in heatwave-related incidents in France since last Thursday, according to the prime minister.
On Wednesday, red alerts in France were extended to include four more regions, forecaster Météo France said, bringing the total number to 58. Thirty-one more regions are under an orange alert.
As of 05:00 local time, La Rochelle in the southwest had already recorded a temperature of 29C, the forecaster said, with a high of 43C possible later in the day in the region.
Highs of 39 to 40C are forecast across much of the country’s west, from Paris to Brittany, and are expected to remain the same until the weekend.
Temperatures peaked on Tuesday, with a high of 44.3C recorded in parts of Landes, in the southwest.
Some relief from the heat is expected from Friday, with temperatures forecast to gradually drop over the weekend. This change will come with thunderstorms, bringing a risk of flash flooding and large hail.
Speaking to French radio, labour minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said “we’re in the process of finding out we’ve become a hot country”.
The heat caused the first major power outage in France, with around 68,000 homes left without power in the north-western Finistère region on Tuesday evening due to a problem with a transformer, authorities said. Power is not expected to be restored for everyone until the end of Wednesday at the earliest.
Elsewhere in the Maine and Loire region, more than 150 firefighters were deployed to fight a major fire on Tuesday in the Breignon forest in Saint-Macaire-du-Bois. It was brought under control overnight, authorities said.
Sights in the French capital Paris have also been impacted by the hot weather.
The world’s most visited museum, the Louvre, said it was bringing forward its closing time from Wednesday to Saturday from 18:00 to 16:00 local time.
The Louvre said its historic building “remains fragile, external and is not sufficiently adapted to climate change”, adding that the “build-up of heat is at its highest at the end of the day, and intensified by the volume of visitors”.
In France, among those who died in heatwave-related incidents was a 13-year-old girl who had gone for a dip with her family in the River Seine at Fontaine-La Port on Sunday evening, although she did not know how to swim.
Several drownings have also been reported in Germany.
While Spain has experienced baking heat over the last few days, temperatures are expected to start falling on the Iberian peninsula on Wednesday.
But red heat alerts remain in place for parts of northern Spain, with a maximum temperature of 42C possible in parts of the Basque country, forecaster Aemet said.
In Italy, meanwhile, 16 provincial capitals are now under red heat alerts, with Latina added to the list on Wednesday, while Bari will be added on Thursday, Italian news agency Ansa said.
The Dutch weather service, the KNMI, has issued a Code Orange weather alert, which refers to a “high chance of dangerous weather” in southern and central areas of the Netherlands from Wednesday until at least Friday.
KNMI said maximum temperatures of 37C were expected, while Friday could see the mercury hit 39C.
In Belgium, most of the country is under an orange alert with highs of 37C expected over the next few days.
After meeting on Tuesday, Belgium’s Risk Management Group said it was activating the “alert phase of the national ozone and heat plan” for only the second time. The first occasion was in August 2020, although no specific national measures have been announced, other than to raise awareness and call for extra care for the elderly and children.
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world – but particularly in Europe. It is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.
This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe’s water supply, and more intense wildfires. Last year, more than one million hectares burnt across Europe – a record level – with Spain particularly affected.
