Heat wave sweeps across Europe / Three people die in France, red alert in Spain and Italy

Europe is currently the continent with the highest above-normal temperatures, with an average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees Celsius above the norm for the period from 1961 to 1990, according to Reuters Climate Monitor, a digital tool from the Reuters news agency for real-time monitoring of the effects of climate change.

According to foreign media, three people died in France from heat-related illnesses and nearly 2,700 French schools were preparing to close or change their schedules, as authorities across Europe issued heatwave warnings for today.

Temperatures in Bordeaux, in southwestern France, were forecast to exceed 42 degrees Celsius on Monday, and Meteo France said 49 regions were under a red heatwave alert for today. “We are heading into at least several days of very, very hot weather. We do not know when temperatures will start to fall,” French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told the TF1 television station.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the state meteorological agency Aemet has issued a red alert for the Basque Country, with temperatures in San Sebastian expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, almost double the historical average for this time of year, according to Reuters Climate Monitor.

Italy is also facing a heatwave. According to meteorologists, the intense heat will continue to hit the country at least until the first days of July. According to the press, these are temperatures up to ten degrees higher than the average for the last ten days of June.