Temperatures could hit 40C from Spain to Switzerland, with authorities urging children and older people to stay indoors
Authorities have urged children and older people to stay indoors and issued severe warnings against dehydration and heatstroke as an unprecedented week-long heatwave begins its advance across continental Europe.
Meteorologists said temperatures would reach or even exceed 40C from Spain to Switzerland as hot air was sucked up from the Sahara by the combination of a storm stalling over the Atlantic and high pressure over central Europe.
High humidity meant it would feel like 47C, experts warned. "El infierno [hell] is coming," tweeted the TV meteorologist Silvia Laplana in Spain, where the AEMET weather service forecast temperatures of 42C by Thursday in the Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys and warned of an "extreme risk" of forest fires.
In France, officials in Paris set up "cool rooms" in municipal buildings, opened pools for late-night swimming and installed extra drinking fountains as temperatures in the capital reached 34C on Monday and were forecast to climb further later in the week.
In Italy, "the most intense heatwave in a decade" was under way, with hospitals preparing to deal with a wave of heat-related illnesses and the health ministry suggesting army doctors may be needed to counter a shortage of medics.
Highs of 37C to 40C were forecast across the north and centre, including in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Turin, with several Italian cities expected to set new records for the highest ever June temperatures.
Scientists have said last year's heatwave, which led to increased mortality rates, a dramatic decline in crop yields, the shutdown of nuclear power plants and wildfires inside the Arctic Circle, was linked to the climate emergency.
Stay frosty if possible, EuroERA
