France issues “unprecedented” heat signals when a new week of rising European temperatures begins

A record number of heat signals were created within France, as the country and other parts of Southern and Eastern Europe remain in the grip of rising temperatures.

About 84 of 96 of the continental regions of France – known as departments – are currently under orange – the second highest in the country. The French Climate Minister Agnes Panier-Racher called him an “unprecedented” situation.

There are also heat warnings for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Balkan countries, including Croatia.

Both Spain and Portugal had their hottest June days over the weekend.

El Granado in Andalusia saw a temperature of 46C on Saturday, while 46.6C was recorded in the city of Mora in central Portugal on Sunday.

Many countries have emergency medical services and warn people to stay inside as far as possible.

Nearly 200 schools in France have been closed or partially closed as a result of the heat wave, which has covered parts of Europe for more than a week, but is expected to reach a peak in the middle of the week.

Education Minister Elizabeth Bourne said she works with regional authorities for the best way to take care of students or allow parents who can keep their children at home.

Several forest fires erupted in the southern mountain range of Corbiers on Sunday, leading to evacuations and the closure of the highway. Since then, they have been contained, firefighters reported in the French media on Monday.

Meanwhile, 21 Italian cities are also alert – including Rome, Milan and Venice, as well as Sardinia.

Mario Guarino, Vice President of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine, told AFP news agency that emergency departments in the hospital across the country have discovered a 10% increase in cases of heat stroke.

Parts of the UK I could see one of the hottest June days ever On Monday, with temperatures of 34 ° C or higher in some parts of England.

Much of Spain, which is about to record its hottest June on the recording, also continues to be alerted to heat.

“I can’t sleep well and have insomnia. I also get heat strokes, I stop eating and I just can’t focus,” Annabelle Sanchez, 21, told the Reuters Agency in Seville.

A similar situation is in Portugal, where seven districts, including the capital, Lisbon, are at the highest level of warning.

Meanwhile, the German Meteorological Service warned that temperatures could reach almost 38 ° C on Tuesday and Wednesday – further potentially record temperatures.

The sides of and around the Balkans also struggle with intense heat, although temperatures began to cool slightly.

In Turkey, firefighters continue their efforts to expose hundreds of fires that have exploded in recent days.

A fire in the Sephrihisar neighborhood, 50 km (30 miles) southwest of the resort town of Izmir, is fueled by winds and has already destroyed about 20 homes and some residential areas were to be evacuated.

Wild fires have also erupted in Croatia, where there are heavy warnings of heat to coastal areas.

Temperatures in Greece are approaching 40C of several days and coastal cities near the capital Athens Last week, flames erupted that destroyed homes – forcing people to evacuate.

On Wednesday, Serbia reported its hotter day since the start of the records, while a record of 38.8C was recorded in Sarajevo, the capital Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. In Slovenia, the hottest June temperature is registered on Saturday.

The temperature in the capital of Northern Macedonia, Skopje, has reached 42C on Friday – and is expected to continue in this range.

While the heat wave is a potential health problem, it also affects the climate. Higher temperatures in the Adriatic Sea encourage invasive species such as poisonous lion fish while causing additional stress on alpine glaciers that are It already shrinks with record rates.

Although it is difficult to connect the individual extreme meteorological events to climate change, heat waves are becoming increasingly common and more intensity due to climate change.