Three people have died in France from health problems caused by extreme heat, and nearly 2,700 French schools were ready to close or change their schedules, as authorities across Europe issued heat warnings for Monday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
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On Monday, temperatures in Bordeaux in southwestern France were forecast to exceed 42 degrees Celsius, and the Meteo France weather agency said 49 regional administrative districts would be under a "red" heat warning.
"We are facing at least several days of very, very hot weather. We don't know when the temperature will start to drop," French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said on TF1 television.
Three elderly people aged 80 to 95 died over the past weekend in the Bordeaux region due to health problems caused by the current heatwave in France, local official Sophie Brocas said on France TV late Sunday.
In Spain, the state meteorological agency Aemet declared a "red" level of danger for the Basque Country, which is usually in the cooler north of the country. According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, temperatures in San Sebastián will rise to 40°C, more than double the historical average for June 22.
According to the Reuters Climate Monitor, San Sebastián is expected to be hotter than the southern cities of Seville and Cordoba, where the country's most intense summer heat is usually observed.
"We are seeing temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above normal for this time of year, and in some northern areas even more than 10 degrees above average," said Rubén del Campo, a spokesman for Aemet.
According to Aemet, the night brought little relief in some parts of Spain, as temperatures did not drop below 25°C or even 30°C in places like the southwestern province of Almería.
On Monday, Europe was the continent that deviated the most from its historical norm, with an average temperature of 24°C, which is 4.1°C higher than the typical figure from 1961 to 1990, according to climate monitoring data. For comparison, temperatures in Asia and North America were 2°C and 1.3°C above the historical norm.
Wildlife shelters in Northern Europe struggled to cope with the number of animals being brought in and suffering from the heat. Birds such as swifts, swallows, sparrows, and starlings, which nest on roof eaves, have been particularly affected by the abnormally high temperatures, said Romain de Jäger, a biologist and founder of the wildlife sanctuary Centre de Revalidation des Espèces Animales Vivant dans la Nature (Creaves) in Temploux, Belgium.
"Temperatures on roofs can sometimes reach 50, even 60 degrees Celsius. So they prefer to jump rather than let themselves die and literally cook in their nests," De Jäger told Reuters, adding that the shelter had received about 150 animals in the last three days.
Spain's Ministry of Labor said on Monday it is monitoring whether companies are complying with laws that allow workers to reduce or adjust their working hours when "orange" or "red" weather warnings are issued. Workers are also entitled to paid leave of up to four days if they cannot reach their workplace due to weather conditions, the statement said.
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