An unprecedented heat wave for the second half of June paralyzed the daily lives of over 94 million people in Western and Central Europe, BNT reports.
Meteorologists explain the phenomenon with the so-called “Omega block“ - an area of extremely high pressure, squeezed between two cyclones, which sucks hot air directly from North Africa and holds it like a lid over the continent, writes USA Today.
The black statistic: The number of deaths growing
While the full number of deaths from heat stress will become clear weeks after the wave passes, the first official figures from recent days are already startling:
- France: Deaths confirmed at least 66 people since the beginning of the current wave . The government reported that 48 of them drowned in canals, rivers and unguarded bodies of water in a desperate attempt to cool off (among them a 13-year-old girl in the Seine River). Others 18 people died from direct heatstroke, including two young children (aged 2 and 4) left in a hot car.
- Spain: The National Meteorological Service confirmed two elderly people died from heatstroke in Andalusia, where temperatures exceeded 44°C.
- Chronic mortality (WHO): WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge presented extraordinary guidance, revealing that in four years the heatwave has caused over 200,000 preventable deaths on the continent [Healthcare Magazine]. Research by the Barcelona Institute shows that southern Europe is most at risk, with Bulgaria ranks second in terms of mortality per million inhabitants (229 deaths), right after Greece (393) [BNT].
Records and red codes by country
European capitals have become real furnaces, and infrastructure built for a cooler climate has begun to fail:
- Франция: Градчето Писос отчете абсолютен рекорд в историята на страната от 44.3°C, а в Париж термометрите достигнаха юни рекорд от 40.9°C . Емблематични обекти като Айфеловата кула и Лувъра съкратиха работното си време.
- Италия: Здравното министерство обяви най-висока степен на опасност (червен код) за 16 големи града, включително Рим, Милано, Торино, Венеция и Болоня.
- Великобритания: Британската метеорологична служба обяви червен код, след като в Хемпшир беше измерен рекорд за юни от 36.1°C.
- Нови огнища: Горещата вълна започва леко да утихва в Испания, но се измества с пълна сила на изток – Полша, Унгария, Нидерландия, Белгия, Люксембург и Швейцария вече издадоха кодове за опасни температури.
Инфраструктурен колапс: Токът спира, влаковете закъсняват
Животът на континента премина в авариен режим поради ниския процент на климатизирани жилища в Европа (едва около 20% спрямо 90% в САЩ):
- Енергиен срив: Масовото пускане на охлаждащи уреди предизвика претоварване на мрежата и аварии оставиха десетки хиляди домакинства без ток в Милано, Торино и френските региони.
- Ядрена енергетика: Френската компания EDF бе принудена да намали капацитета на ядрените си централи с около 7%, тъй като водите на реките (използвани за охлаждане на реакторите) са станали опасно топли за околната среда.
- Transport and education: In the Netherlands, train traffic was partially suspended due to the risk of track deformation. In UK and France over 1,000 schools were closed or switched to reduced hours due to unheated and stuffy buildings.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who attended Climate Week in London, made a stark statement: "London is not just sounding the alarm – it is overheating. The crisis shares the same destructive origin: fossil fuels."
If you are interested, we can continue the topic with:
- Specific information for the situation and measures in Bulgaria, given our high position in the black statistics.
- Analysis of financial losses for agriculture (there are already reports of millions of birds dying in French poultry farms).
- Practical advice from WHO for heat stroke recognition in urban environments. [Al Jazeera]
Bulgaria ranks second in Europe in terms of mortality due to heat waves with 229 deaths per million inhabitants, according to the startling data from a large-scale study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health [BNT]. The disaster is also causing severe economic damage on the continent, with the French Ministry of Agriculture already confirming the loss of millions of birds on farms, which are literally baked by the heat