Heat wave rising from Sahara sets regional records

PARIS — Temperature records that had stood for decades or even just hours fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.

It was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes or stores.

Climate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to manmade climate change.

Trains were canceled in Britain and France, with authorities in both nations urging travelers to stay home.

The sheer levels of heat on Thursday afternoon were nothing short of astonishing:

The Paris area hit 108.7 F, beating the previous record of 104.7 F set in 1947.

The Netherlands’ meteorological institute announced a record that beat the previous record set just a day ago: 105.3 F in the Gilze Rijen municipality near the Belgian border.

Belgium hit alltime records twice in the day, rising to 105.3 F in the western town of Beitem.

The northern German town of Lingen set a new national temperature record at 108.7 F.

London recorded its hottest day on record for July, with the mercury climbing to 98.4 F at Heathrow Airport.