Europe is facing a strong these days heat wave which affected a large part of the west and south of the continent, with temperatures approaching or exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some countries. As reported by European media, including The Guardian, BBC and Reuters, meteorological services in several countries issued the highest warnings, while the authorities were forced to introduce emergency measures to protect the population and restrictions on the work of public services.
In France, extremely high temperatures were recorded for June, and according to the reports of the French meteorological services, values approaching national records were measured in some regions. Authorities have activated red alerts in dozens of departments, with schools closed and public institutions closed.
The situation is similar in Great Britain, where the BBC reported that records were broken for the hottest June in the history of measurements, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees, which caused traffic disruptions and burdened the health system.
In the south of Europe, especially in Spain, Italy and Portugal, the situation is even more pronounced. Reuters and Spanish and Italian media reported that local temperatures reached the mid-40s, with red and orange weather warnings and recommendations for citizens to avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day. In Italy, some regions have restricted outdoor work, especially in the construction and logistics sectors.
The heat wave has also started to cause serious problems in the energy system, especially in France, where nuclear power production has been reduced due to the heating of rivers used to cool reactors, which further burdens the power grid.
Meteorologists explain that the cause of this wave is a stable high pressure system known as the "omega block", which traps hot air over large parts of Europe and prevents the penetration of colder fronts. Experts, as reported by the BBC, warn that climate change is contributing to increasingly frequent and intense heat waves.
Traffic disruptions, temporary closures of schools and tourist attractions have already been reported in several countries.
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