France shuts schools, top of Eiffel Tower, as heatwave grips Europe
The extreme heat increased the risk of field fires as farmers in France, the EU’s largest grain producer, begin harvesting this year’s crop
More than a thousand schools were closed in France on Tuesday, and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was shut to tourists as a severe heatwave continued to grip Europe, triggering health alerts across the region.
The Mediterranean Sea was up to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for the time of year, hitting a record of as much as 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in Spain’s Balearic Sea as a heat dome trapped hot air above Europe, the country’s Aemet weather forecaster said.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, making extreme heatwaves occur earlier in the year, and persist into later months.
In France, the heat was set to peak on Tuesday, reaching between 40 and 41 degrees in some areas and 36 to 39 degrees in most others, weather forecaster Meteo France said. Sixteen departments will be on the highest level of alert from noon, with 68 on the second highest.
Some 1,350 schools will be fully or partially closed due to the heat, up significantly from around 200 on Monday, the Education Ministry said. The top floor of the Eiffel Tower will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with visitors advised to drink plenty of water.
The extreme heat also raised the risk of field fires as farmers in France, the European Union’s biggest grain producer, start harvesting this year’s crop.
Some farmers were working through the night to avoid harvesting during peak temperatures in the afternoon. In the Indre region of central France, which has seen a spate of field fires since late June, authorities banned field work between 2pm and 6pm.