By Makini Brice, Sarah Young and Giselda Vagnoni
PARIS/LONDON/ROME June 24 (Reuters) – Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that shattered records, caused the deaths of dozens of people, closed schools, knocked out electricity and wiped out poultry farms.
In France, which on Tuesday recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, authorities sought to restore electricity to thousands of homes hit by power cuts in the northwestern region of Brittany. The recorded temperature peaked at 44.3 degrees Celsius (111.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southwestern town of Pissos.
Italy’s health ministry issued its highest heat alert for 16 cities, from Florence and Milan to Rome, Turin and Verona.
In Britain, on course for its hottest June day ever, the Met Office weather service issued only the second extreme-heat weather warning in history. Hundreds of schools stayed shut or closed early, as high temperatures could place even healthy people at risk.
At least 48 people died in France from drowning as they attempted to seek respite from the crippling heat, while two young children were killed by heat in a car, authorities said.
Two elderly people died of heatstroke in Spain, which has experienced extreme temperatures since the weekend exceeding 40 C. Temperatures there were starting to ease on Wednesday, after Monday and Tuesday were the hottest days on record for late June, national weather agency AEMET said.
The scorching temperatures killed hundreds of thousands of birds at poultry farms in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire, French agricultural bodies said. Farmers awaiting collection or burial were advised to pour sawdust or wood shavings on the carcasses to absorb liquid. The dead birds could be buried at the farms only after technical and environmental checks.
Nuclear power plants that provide most of the electricity in France reduced their output by about 7% of electricity demand on Wednesday, as high temperatures reduced access to cooling water.
HEATWAVE LOCK-IN
A rare weather pattern known as an Omega block was causing the record-breaking temperatures across Europe, as high as 18 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in intensifying heat hovering over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes.
Weather agency Meteo-France has said the conditions are comparable to a heatwave in August 2003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.
Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, which makes prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.
MODELS AND COOKS FEEL THE HEAT
The Eiffel Tower announced early closing times, and the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace was scaled back, without the usual ceremony of soldiers in scarlet tunics and heavy bearskin hats.
In Paris, where the annual Fashion Week was under way, onlookers could be seen gasping and sweating during the Louis Vuitton show as male models showed off creations by pop singer Pharrell Williams. Labels including Dior and Rick Owens changed their schedules to hold shows in the morning, organisers said.
Sascha Meyer, manager of the Bamberger Haus beer garden in Munich where fresh chickens were roasting on a spit, reckoned it was close to 50 C in the serving area. “Unfortunately, the fan doesn’t help.”
An extreme heat warning was in place across the Netherlands, where outdoor sports were cancelled, public transport was scaled down and schools shortened classes or closed as temperatures were expected to soar to 36 C. In Switzerland, local authorities opened air-conditioned theatres for free daytime cinema screenings.
WORK HOURS IMPACTED
Construction contractors across the continent altered working hours so employees could avoid the worst, while retailers struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air-conditioners.
Britain’s biggest supermarket chain Tesco said it was expecting an increase of more than 72% in sales of sunscreen this week and a 48% surge in the sale of ice cream and ice lollies.
A French agriculture cooperative said farmers were introducing night shifts for harvesting to protect workers from afternoon heat and fields from fire risk.
In Italy, conditions were expected to worsen further, especially across central and northern regions, with the heatwave likely to peak between Sunday and Monday, meteorologists said.
Temperatures could reach 41 C between Tuscany and Emilia, while in coastal areas such as Liguria the combination of heat and extreme humidity could drive perceived temperatures as high as 45 C.
Still, tourists waited patiently in the blazing sun to visit museums at the Vatican on Wednesday. Some held umbrellas or fans while others simply draped their heads with T-shirts. Many gathered for refills of water around fountains or cafes for other refreshments.
“We want a beer, a beer for the heat,” said Father Israel from the Dominican Republic as he held up a large pint of lager in his hand.
(Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo, Ingrid Melander, Tassilo Hummel, James Davey, Anthony Deutsch, Olivia Le Poidevin and Cecile Mantovanni; writing by Michele Kambas;Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Peter Graff)
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