Europe on high alert as heatwave creeps north

Schools were partially shut in France, iconic monuments closed to tourists, and cities across Europe put on high alert as a record-breaking early summer heatwave spread across the continent on Tuesday.

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Withering conditions that have baked southern Europe for days crept northward where such extremes are much rarer, with Paris on “red alert” and high temperature warnings issued in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.

Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a “silent killer.”

Scientists said it was unusual for such heat to hit Europe this early in the season, but that human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels was making these once-rare events far more likely.

Records have tumbled, with France and Portugal experiencing their highest-ever single-day temperatures in June, Spain its warmest June, and the Netherlands its hottest opening day of July.

In England, the weather service said it was the hottest June since records began in 1884.

The Mediterranean Sea recorded a new June high of 26.0!°C on Sunday, just the latest abnormal marine heatwave in the basin, harming sea life and turbocharging storms.