Europe is preparing for 40 degrees

Woman enjoying life at sunset. Photo: Pexels.com

French meteorologists warn that the heat that struck Monday will last a week. Large parts of Europe are aware of the heat wave that will reach climax on Thursday.

It is the warm Sahara winds that cause the sudden summer heat.

The temperatures will start to rise in Spain during the weekend, before spreading to France and Germany early next week. It is expected to reach up to 40 degrees, writes Yr.

Southern Norway will also get a little taster of the heat with up to 25 degrees from Wednesday, says state meteorologist John Smits to NRK.

The whole of Europe is preparing for the challenges that the heat creates.

Record
In Germany, they can see a record if the scale approaches 40 degrees. Last peak at this time of year was registered in Frankfurt in 1947 at 38.2 degrees.

Emergency personnel have asked the population to pay extra attention to both children, the elderly and those with a weak immune system, who may be extra exposed when there is strong heat.

Parts of Germany also warn that forest fires may occur. In the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds the capital Berlin, firefighters are already on standby.

Football World Cup
In Paris, the aid organizations are in the process of handing out water and offering cooler accommodation for the homeless. After the tragedy of summer 2003 when many people lost their lives after complications due to the heat, the authorities have put in place a system to help the weakest.

We are prepared, both in the nursing homes, in hospitals and in the transport system. But when people are weak, and even though we are well organized, we fear a higher mortality rate, says French Minister of Health Agnes Buzyn.

In connection with the World Cup in women’s football, it has been announced that extra breaks may be necessary in the forthcoming matches if it gets too hot inside the stadiums. In the worst case, matches can be postponed.

Hot more often
Experts say the heat waves are hitting Europe more often.

We see that the heat records are recorded five times as often today than we would expect with a more stable climate. The increase in extreme heat is, as expected, a consequence of global warming, says Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research.

Researcher Dim Coumou at Free University in Amsterdam says ice melting in the Arctic also affects the circulation in the atmosphere, which in turn makes extreme heat more likely.

Analyzes show that there is an accumulation of hot and dry weather conditions, where summer days develop into a heat wave, according to him.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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