[Science] European heatwave: France hits highest recorded temperature of 45.1°C – AI

The southern town of Carpentras recorded temperatures of 44°CPATRICK VALASSERIS/AFP/Getty Images By New Scientist Staff and Press AssociationSchools are dousing pupils with water and nursing homes are equipping people with hydration sensors as Europe battles a record-setting heatwave. Several people have died around the continent in incidents authorities are linking to the exceptional weather. A major wildfire is raging in Spain, sparked after a pile of chicken dung caught fire in the heat. Several countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its highest temperature on record today at 45.1°C in the southern town of Villevieille. Earlier in the day, the southern town of Carpentras recorded temperatures of 44°C, which was then the record for a few hours. Advertisement Read more: So far 2019 has set 35 records for heat and 2 for cold The French national weather service activated its highest level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch. About 4000 schools closed because they could not ensure safe conditions, and local authorities cancelled many end-of-school-year carnivals. Some criticised the government for going overboard, but prime minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts, referencing the 15,000 people who died in a heatwave in 2003. “This heatwave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters. “Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people. But given the intensity of the heatwave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbours.” Water cannons Italy put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun. Heat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported. An 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in north-west Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness. Four people have drowned so far in France this week. The health minister warned people to swim only in authorised areas. Read more: Deadly heat: How to survive the world’s new temperature extremes France has also seen a rise in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A six-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported. More than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft are battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C. In Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons – usually used against rioters – on city trees to cool them down. More on these topics: weather