Millions of people across Europe are experiencing extreme temperatures as an intense early-summer heatwave grips the continent, with France reporting 40 drowning deaths over the past week as residents sought relief from the heat.
France remains among the hardest-hit countries, with temperatures expected to stay unusually high both day and night. The country’s national weather service, Météo-France, has placed 54 departments under its highest-level red heatwave alert.
Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are also facing severe heat conditions.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the 40 drowning victims recorded since last Thursday were mainly young people.
Weather authorities described the heatwave as exceptionally intense for this time of year, though its duration remains uncertain. The event has drawn comparisons to the devastating August 2003 heatwave, which caused an estimated 15,000 deaths in France, particularly among elderly people living without access to air conditioning.
Scientists continue to link the increasing frequency and severity of heatwaves to human-induced climate change. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
The World Health Organization’s Europe office recently reported that more than 200,000 people across Europe have died from heat-related causes over the past four years, with most of those deaths considered preventable.
Climate experts warn that additional temperature records are likely to be broken in the coming years as global warming continues to intensify extreme weather events.