Britain sees another day of record temperatures as Europe's heat wave continues

Temperatures reached 36.4 C in south-west England on Thursday, making it the hottest June day ever recorded in Britain, surpassing the record set the previous day, the UK's Met Office said.

Authorities in Britain and France warned people to stop their rituals on Thursday as many parts of Western Europe were still reeling from a devastating wave that claimed many lives, disrupted electricity, closed schools and cultural landmarks.

Southern parts of England and Wales faced another day of record-breaking temperatures after a new June temperature of 36.1 C was temporarily set in the southern English county of Hampshire on Wednesday.

Britain's Met Office has extended a red heat warning covering a large area until Friday, the first time such warnings have been issued for three days in a row.

“Major disruption to daily life is likely and the public must do everything possible to adapt their daily routines to cope with these temperatures, which have been extremely rare in the UK,” said Andy Page, senior meteorologist at the Met Office.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has activated the highest level of mobilization of health services in the face of the heat wave, meaning non-urgent operations can be canceled to focus on caring for those affected by the heat wave.

Paris endured another sweltering day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 C on Wednesday.

France has implemented a number of measures to combat heat waves after one in 2003 killed nearly 15,000 people, with the elderly particularly affected.

In this case, active young people were particularly concerned, said Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris.

“Instead, they are people between the ages of 50 and 70 who are in good health, but who think this is just a normal time and continue to do their normal activities as if nothing has changed. Really protect yourself,” he told broadcaster TF1.

The Dutch meteorological agency KNMI on Thursday also issued a rare red warning for extreme heat for almost all of the Netherlands on Friday. It said temperatures could rise up to 40 C in some places.

Death by drowning in France, Germany

At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the heat wave began while trying to cool down, authorities said, and three young children are known to have died from heatstroke in cars in two separate incidents.

Since the end of last week, more than 20 people in Germany have lost their lives in swimming-related accidents, the German Life Saving Association said in a statement sent to Reuters.

In Italy, the media reported that five people died on Wednesday due to heat-related incidents.

The heat wave, which is expected to intensify over the next three days, could endanger the lives of up to 1.5 million Italian workers including builders, farmers and couriers, according to estimates by the Italian trade union CGIL and Greenpeace Italy.

Many states have banned outdoor work during the hottest part of the day, and the government this week said companies forced to shut down because of the heat could not get cash for unemployed workers.

Changes introduced in France since the 2003 heat wave included regular checks on the elderly and giving those in retirement homes the chance to spend a few hours a day in an air-conditioned room.

Air conditioners remain rare in Europe, but Asian manufacturers of air conditioners, such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics, China's Midea and Japan's Mitsubishi Electric, are enjoying booming sales, as demand is high in countries such as France, Spain and Italy.

The heat wave is being driven by a weather pattern known as the Omega block, which is pushing temperatures up to 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

This shape is similar to the shape of the Greek letter Omega, which is in the center of the hot areas for a long time, and the cool climate at the edges. Heat waves and storms are exacerbated by climate change.

French Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 13,500 schools were closed or placed in special programs on Thursday.

More than 1,000 schools were closed or partially closed in Britain as temperatures in some classrooms soared above 40 C, and authorities worried about extreme heat in treeless playgrounds, with the end of term still weeks away for many.

American tourist Keaghan Cronin, playing with his children in the sprinklers in Paris, said it was a nice place, but it was very hot.

“I [children are] very uncomfortable. We're actually going to leave early, because it's really hot. We will leave Paris early,” he said.

Sports events that took place in Germany, Austria

Germany's National Meteorological Service has issued extreme heat warnings for much of western Germany, with temperatures expected to rise to 38 C on Thursday and 41 C on Friday and Saturday. The half marathon race scheduled for Sunday in the northern city of Hamburg has been postponed.

In neighboring Austria, the national weather service has issued a red heat warning for the north-east of the country, including Vienna, this weekend, when temperatures in the capital could reach a record 40 C.

Formula One's governing body has announced a heat hazard for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring in the south of the country this weekend.

That requires teams to install a driver cooling system, such as a liquid-cooled vest, although drivers are not required to use it and can instead take a ballast penalty.