Most of Europe will be blanketed by an oppressive heatwave as the continent suffers unreasonable warmth this week, with officials across the European Union announcing severe warnings against dehydration and heatstroke. The heat wave will be centered from Spain into France and Germany.
AccuWeather said a storm stalling over the Atlantic Ocean and high pressure over central and eastern Europe will push hot desert air from Africa northward across Europe. This setup has triggered dangerous heat wave warnings across western and central Europe for the remainder of the week.
From Madrid to Paris, Belgium, Frankfurt, and Berlin, these metropolitan areas are likely to see a multi-day heat wave, with daily temperatures around 90F-100F.
High humidity in some areas could make it feel like 116F, experts warned. “El infierno [hell] is coming,” tweeted meteorologist Silvia Laplana in Spain.
El infierno is coming. pic.twitter.com/j0iGEYF0ge
— Silvia Laplana (@slaplana_tve) June 24, 2019
Officials in France have set up “cool rooms” in government buildings, opened community pools for extended hours, and installed water fountains across the city to prepare for the heat wave this week, reported The Guardian.
“I’m worried about people who are downplaying this, who are continuing to exercise as usual or stay out in the sun,” the health minister, Agnès Buzyn, said. “This affects all of us, nobody is a superman when it comes to dealing with the extreme heat we’re going to see on Thursday and Friday,” she told a press conference.
Emmanuel Demaël of Météo-France said the heat wave is so unprecedented that “we haven’t seen this since 1947.”
Record monthly and all-time highs are likely to be set across France this week, Demaël said, and overnight temperatures could stay above 70F.
In Italy, “the most intense heatwave in a decade” started on Monday, with local governments preparing their hospitals for a surge in heat-related illnesses. Highs of 99F to 104F are forecast across Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan, and Turin, with several Italian cities expected to hit new record highs for June.
MeteoSwiss issued a “severe danger” warning across Switzerland as temperatures could rise to 99F from Tuesday until Thursday.
Warnung des Bundes: #Hitzewarnung der höchsten Stufe 4 für die Region Basel und das Zentralwallis. Für gewisse Bevölkerungsgruppen können die hohen Temperaturen ein Gesundheitsrisiko darstellen, warnt das @BAG_OFSP_UFSP. #Hitzewelle wird voraussichtlich bis Sonntag andauern. pic.twitter.com/tkQxwrF8RD
— MeteoSchweiz (@meteoschweiz) June 24, 2019
Last year’s heatwave led to increased mortality rates, lower crop yields, the shutdown of nuclear power plants, wildfires, water shortages, and power grid outages, could be a lot worse this year due to the unprecedented heat.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2WZYgbG Tyler Durden