Highway Bursts, Records Shattered: Europe's "Impossible" Heatwave Hits 40.6°C, 3,000 Flood Hospitals
A brutal heatwave that scientists say would have been impossible without climate change is smashing records across Europe, causing a German highway to burst, forcing a nursing home evacuation, and flooding Paris hospitals with nearly 3,000 patients in one day.
The extreme heat, which already baked western Europe, moved east on Saturday, breaking national temperature records in Switzerland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic [183604]. The Danish Meteorological Institute recorded a new all-time high of 37°C (98.6°F) in Ødum, the warmest day since records began in 1874 [183604]. Switzerland set a new national record of 38.8°C (101.8°F) in Basel, while the Czech Republic saw its hottest day ever with 40.6°C (105°F) in the northern town of Doksany [183604].
In Germany, where temperatures were expected to hit 40°C (104°F), the concrete of the A2 highway near Berlin burst due to the heat, forcing a closure [183604]. Train operator Deutsche Bahn advised against all non-essential travel this weekend [183604]. In the western city of Dormagen, dozens of residents were evacuated from a nursing home after indoor temperatures reached 35°C (95°F); a resident died overnight, though the cause was not yet confirmed [183604].
France, though beginning to see temperatures ease, faced immense pressure on its healthcare system. The Paris public hospital authority treated nearly 3,000 patients in 24 hours—over a third more than normal—with many over 75 requiring hospitalization [183604]. Phone calls to medical dispatch centers jumped nearly 80% compared to the same period last year [183604]. French labor unions are now demanding a law that sets a maximum legal temperature for workplaces, as the number of heart attacks and other acute health emergencies has multiplied [182595]. Officials in Paris also banned alcohol sales and consumption to reduce hospital strain, as alcohol can worsen dehydration and heatstroke [182684].
In Italy, 18 cities including Venice, Florence, Bologna, and Milan remained under red heat alerts [183604]. In the UK, after smashing the record for the hottest June day three days in a row—reaching 37.3°C (99°F)—sweltering conditions began to ease [183604]. Police recovered the body of a 22-year-old man from a river after he reportedly got into difficulty in the water [183604].
A new study from the World Weather Attribution group found that the record-breaking heat and humidity would not have been possible without human-caused climate change, and that such heat is now 200 times more likely than it was 20 years ago [183604]. “A rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is critical if we are to avoid even higher temperatures,” the group warned [182315]. The president of the UN climate talks, André Corrêa do Lago, said the heatwave “helped strengthen the perception of urgency of fighting climate change” [183604].