Europe under red alert as exceptional early heatwave sweeps continent
Temperatures climbed above 40°C across southern France, Italy, Spain and Germany on Monday, with European meteorological agencies issuing red alerts in seven countries and the European Commission deploying additional emergency coordination teams.
Most of the European continent fell under an early-summer heatwave of unusual intensity on Monday. France's Pyrénées-Orientales region recorded 42.1°C and Spain's Murcia hit 43.4°C; Italy, Greece and southern Germany also posted record values.
France's Health Ministry issued red alerts in 16 départements, with orange alerts in 84 departments including the Paris region. European Environment Agency director Leena Ylä-Mononen said in a statement that « an early-season heatwave of this intensity is a direct fingerprint of climate change. » Italy has banned outdoor labour in 26 cities.
The European Commission said it is deploying emergency coordination teams to member states. French grid operator RTE reported record afternoon demand by 2 p.m.; air-conditioner sales were up 280%. Health authorities have reported at least 11 heat-linked deaths, and hospitals have shifted to capacity-management protocols.
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