PARIS: France issued a red heatwave alert across more than a third of the country for Sunday as a ferocious heatwave dug in. The prolonged heatwave, which began earlier this week, has disrupted the country, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.
Authorities are also concerned about how the annual Fete de la Musique celebrations will unfold across the country on Sunday when musicians take over the streets with free performances and revellers party into the night. "Very high temperatures are settling in for the long term across the country," Meteo-France said as it announced the highest heatwave warning for 35 of France's departments, or administrative regions, for Sunday.
Paris is one of the regions on the red-alert list.
Much of Western Europe was sweltering in a gruelling heatwave on Friday with the mercury expected to continue rising in the coming days, likely shattering yet more temperature records. Across the continent, authorities were ramping up warnings of extreme weather. German forecasters said parts of the country needed to be on alert for thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain over the weekend. Meteorologists confirmed that England and Wales had already experienced the hottest spring ever recorded, though temperatures in Britain were not expected to be as intense as continental Europe.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is amplifying such extremes, with heatwaves, droughts and floods becoming more intense and frequent. The current heatwave is already the second of the year for many, and means summer is kicking off for tens of millions of Western Europeans with another spell of extreme heat.— AFP
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