A widespread heatwave affecting several European nations has prompted public safety measures, including school closures in France, as temperatures climb to extreme levels.
According to the French Education Ministry, about 1,350 schools are expected to be fully or partially closed due to the heat, a sharp rise from around 200 that were initially shut down.
In addition to protective measures in educational institutions, the government also closed the top floor of the Eiffel Tower for two days, advising visitors to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
France’s national weather agency reported that temperatures were expected to peak on Tuesday, reaching 40°C to 41°C in some areas and 36°C to 39°C in most others.
The agency added that beginning at noon, sixteen regions would be placed under a red alert, the highest warning level, while sixty-eight regions remain on orange alert, the second-highest tier.
The extreme heat has also raised concerns over the risk of field fires, particularly as farmers, in the EU’s largest grain-producing nation, begin harvesting this year’s crop.
In some regions, farmers have opted to work overnight to avoid the dangerously high afternoon temperatures.
In Indre, a region in central France that has experienced a string of field fires since late June, authorities have banned fieldwork between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy issued red heatwave alerts for 17 cities, including Milan and Rome. In Sicily, a woman with a heart condition reportedly died while walking in the city of Bagheria, possibly due to heatstroke, according to local news agencies.
In Turkey, emergency crews are continuing to battle wildfires that forced the temporary evacuation of around 50,000 people on Monday in areas surrounding Izmir, Manisa, and Hatay provinces.
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating at twice the global average.
As a result, extreme heatwaves are starting earlier in the year and lasting longer, increasing the strain on public health systems, agriculture, and infrastructure.
