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Summer usually starts with pleasant sunshine and mild afternoons. But weather patterns are changing fast
But weather patterns are changing rapidly. This year, extreme heat arrived weeks ahead of schedule, reports The Guardian.
Early heat
France is currently enduring a brutal early summer heatwave. Record high temperatures for May were shattered on two consecutive days.
The extreme conditions have already taken a tragic toll on local communities. French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon confirmed the deadly impact during a television interview.
“What I can say today is that there have been seven deaths linked directly or indirectly to the heat,” Bregeon told TF1 television, noting that five victims drowned.
Two deaths on Sunday were blamed directly on the soaring temperatures. One woman suffered fatal hyperthermia at a fitness competition in Lyon. Another runner had a heart attack in Paris.
Sweltering conditions
The blazing sun sent countless people to local beaches. Unfortunately, official lifeguard patrols will not begin until July.
Météo France recorded a provisional national heat index of 24.8C. That shocking number breaks the previous record set just a day earlier.
This blistering weather is not isolated to France. A heavy lid of high atmospheric pressure is currently pressing down across the western half of the continent, locking in dangerous hot air from Morocco.
The United Kingdom just reported its hottest May day ever, hitting 35C near London. Two separate weather stations in Ireland recorded an unprecedented 28.8C.
Warnings issued
Authorities are scrambling to protect citizens. Officials recently placed thirteen French regions on a severe orange alert.
Government leaders originally launched this specific threat scale back in 2004. Since that rollout two decades ago, nobody had ever deployed it before June.
Italy has taken drastic steps to protect laborers in the Lazio region. Work restrictions are now actively enforced for farm workers during the hottest afternoon hours.
The new normal
Experts warn that this type of premature heatwave will become more common. Climate breakdown makes these severe events significantly more likely.
Robert Vautard discussed the worrying trend. “This extension of the heatwave season is entirely characteristic of the effects of climate change,” Vautard told Agence France-Presse. “Eventually, we will be seeing similar heat events in April and October.”
Christophe Cassou explained the history to Le Monde. “This is an unprecedented event with a one in 1,000 chance of happening at this time of year in the climate of 1979 to 2025,” Cassou told Le Monde. “It would have been virtually impossible in the preindustrial era.”
Sources: The Guardian, TF1 television, Météo France, Agence France-Presse, Le Monde
