Health authorities across Europe were put on high alert on Friday, as a deadly heatwave swept across the continent, leading to a ban on alcohol in France and the cracking of road surfaces in Germany, reports UNN citing Reuters.
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From Britain and France to Germany, Italy, Austria and Serbia, Europe was gripped by record heat spreading across the region. Scientists said the heatwave was the worst ever recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than anywhere else.
Temperatures have likely already peaked in France and Britain, where June records were broken. But in Italy, the heat was expected to intensify into the weekend, reaching 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this summer.
In France, where temperatures in Paris reached 40.9°C on Wednesday, at least 55 heat-related deaths have been recorded. Although temperatures were expected to drop, authorities braced for more casualties.
Across the continent, cultural landmarks were forced to close, and agriculture suffered. Paris police urged organizers of large events, including the Solidays music festival, to cancel them. Pride festival organizers said they would postpone it.
According to the BZ newspaper, the extreme heat caused the surface of the A2 motorway in eastern Germany to deform and crack on several lanes on Thursday evening, damaging up to 30 vehicles, leaving two people with minor injuries, and forcing the motorway to close.
The UK Met Office extended a "red" heat warning until Friday for a large area of southern England. This is the first time such warnings have been issued for three consecutive days.
A rare "red" extreme heat warning was issued for almost all of the Netherlands, and many schools were closed, as temperatures of up to 40°C were expected.
In Serbia, authorities declared a "yellow" alert, with temperatures expected around 36°C. Officials in Belgrade warned people to drink water and stay indoors during the hottest hours.
Fans flew off shelves in Britain, and Asian air conditioner manufacturers reported a sales boom in Europe. In France, state-owned energy company EDF pledged to spend 80 million euros on cooling systems for schools, kindergartens, and preschools.
According to the latest data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), part of the OECD, published in July 2025, household air conditioner ownership in Europe remains relatively low, at around 20%.
The heatwave, which according to the Reuters Climate Monitor raised temperatures by as much as 18°C above the seasonal average, is driven by a weather phenomenon known as an "Omega block."
This phenomenon holds a dome of hot air over regions for an extended period, while cooler weather prevails on its periphery.
Scientists said the record heat would have been "virtually impossible" without human-caused climate change, which made the stiflingly high nighttime temperatures this week 100 times more likely than they would have been even two decades ago.
Climate change fuels extreme heat in Europe - scientists26.06.26, 10:50
"In the studied region, this heatwave is the strongest ever recorded," said the latest analysis from the climate scientists' group World Weather Attribution.
French authorities announced a ban on alcohol consumption in public places on Friday, as France was set to play against Norway in Boston at the World Football Championship.
French doctors and hospital workers reported an increase in emergency calls and medical assistance.
Wilfrid Samut, spokesperson for the French Association of Emergency Physicians, said hospitals were poorly prepared for the heatwave.
"The impact on the mental health of healthcare workers is enormous," he said. "It is apocalyptic."
Europe faces a new climate threat: heat stress grows faster than temperatures25.06.26, 11:21