France roasts in record heatwave; 2 die in Spain
PARIS (Reuters) — France on Friday registered its highest temperature since records began, as the death toll rose from a heatwave suffocating much of Europe.
The mercury hit 45.9 degrees Celsius in Gallarguesle-Montueux, in the southern Provence region, according to weather forecasting agency Meteo France — nearly two degrees above the previous high of 44.1 Celsius recorded in August 2003.
Twelve towns in southern France also saw new all-time highs on Friday and three experienced temperatures above 45 degrees, it said.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said 2019 was on track to be among the world’s hottest years, and that 2015-2019 would then be the hottest five-year period on record.
The European heatwave, according to the WMO, was “absolutely consistent” with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
Four administrative departments in France were placed on red alert, signaling temperatures of “dangerous intensity” that are more typical of Saudi Arabia.
The unusually high temperatures are forecast to last until early next week.
In Spain, where temperatures peaked above 43 degrees for the second day running, wildfires raged across 60 square kilometers of land in the northeastern Tarragona province. Officials said firefighters battling the blazes on 20 fronts managed to avoid them from spreading.
In the central region, a fire broke out on the outskirts of Toledo, forcing the evacuation of two public buildings, a regional official told Reuters.
To the north, in Valladolid, a 93-year-old man collapsed and died due to the heat, according to police, while in a small town outside Cordoba, a 17-year-old died of heat-related effects after jumping into a swimming pool to cool off.