All of Europe is experiencing a massive heat wave that has already turned deadly this week, with temperatures expected to continue to rise.
One clever Frenchman noted that the projected heat map of France for Thursday, June 27th appears to be a screaming skull, an appropriate image for the temperatures they are feeling right now.
A gauche carte des températures à 1500m prévues par GFS. A droite le cri de Munch.
Jamais vu ça en 15 que je regarde des cartes météo #canicule pic.twitter.com/RIJTXiCUh1— Ruben H (@korben_meteo) June 20, 2019
This roughly translates to: “Left map of temperatures at 1500m provided by GFS. On the right, The Scream, by Edvard Munch. Never seen that in the 15 years that I’ve been looking at weather charts #heatwave”
The French are referring to this heat disaster as La Canicule, or the heat wave, a scorching heat. Temperatures in France are between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius, or 79-82 in Fahrenheit, which might seem low for those in the South used to multiple hundred-degree days already. However, this is a very early start to the hot season for Europe.
On the 26th, a German town broke a record with the hottest temperature ever recorded, hitting 38.6 degrees Celsius or 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. It isn’t projected to get any better over the weekend for them, either.
It’s important to remember that much of Europe’s infrastructure is old and ill-equipped to deal with this kind of heat. Most buildings do not have central air, and window air conditions are not common.
You may not remember, but in 2003 Europe experienced another heat wave, too. It was the hottest summer on record since at least 1540 and caused massive damage and loss of life. The worst months were July and August.
The intense heat over that summer was accompanied by a drought that meant farmers could not grow anything. A crop shortfall was a serious issue in many parts of Southern Europe, with people not having enough food or farmers simply making no money for a whole crop season.
The death toll in 2003 throughout all of Europe was estimated to be more than 70,000 people. France got hit the hardest, with over 14,800 people losing their lives. France, especially the northern areas, do not have hot summers.
Residents did not know how to react to multiple days of heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and city officials had no contingency plans. Heat-based emergencies were something they simply didn’t plan for.
Officials are concerned that this early start to the hot season could mean another heat wave like they saw in 2003, resulting in more deaths.
Reports from Europe state that 3 people have already died in the heat, though not from heat exhaustion or dehydration but from what is called ‘cold shock’.
These people died due to jumping into cold water while trying to escape the heat. Their bodies could not handle the sudden change in temperature and went into shock. Because they were in the water, they drowned.
In France, schools are currently closed and tests are being postponed while additional cooling rooms and water fountains are being supplied. This time around, Europe is taking the heat wave seriously and making changes to keep all citizens safe.
