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\nThe peak temperature of this heatwave could break the current UK record from four years ago<\/p>\n
Western Europe is \u2060in the grip of a deadly, record-setting heatwave that has killed dozens of people, closed schools, slowed trains, knocked out electricity and forced farmers to harvest grain at night.<\/p>\n
In France, which yesterday recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, authorities sought to restore electricity to thousands of homes hit by power cuts related to the extreme weather in the northwestern region of Brittany.<\/p>\n
Healthcare centres and critical sites were being prioritised in the effort, \u2060with generators provided to tide over retirement homes after outages were blamed on a transformer incident.<\/p>\n
“The incident was accidental and related to the current heatwave,” officials said in a statement. “No one was injured.”<\/p>\n
Italy’s health ministry issued its highest heat alert for 16 cities, from Florence and Milan, to Rome, Turin and Verona.<\/p>\n
In Britain, on course for its hottest June day ever, the Met Office weather service issued only the second extreme-heat weather warning in history. Hundreds of schools stayed shut or closed early, as high temperatures could place even healthy people at risk.<\/p>\n
\nThe peak temperature of this heatwave could break the current UK record from four years ago<\/p>\n
At \u200cleast 48 people have died in France \u2060from drowning as they attempted to seek respite from the crippling heat, while two young children were killed by heat in a car, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Two elderly people died of heatstroke in Spain, which has experienced extreme temperatures since the weekend exceeding 40C, though temperatures there are starting to ease.<\/p>\n
A rare weather pattern known as an Omega block was causing the record-breaking temperatures across Europe, as high as 18C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.<\/p>\n
The phenomenon resembles the shape \u200cof the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in intensifying heat hovering over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes.<\/p>\n
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n Gasping and sweating<\/p>\n Weather agency Meteo-France has said the conditions are comparable to a heatwave in August \u20602003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.<\/p>\n Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World \u200cMeteorological Organization (WMO) has said, which makes prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.<\/p>\n In Paris, where the \u2060annual Fashion Week was \u200cunder way, onlookers could be seen gasping and sweating during the Louis Vuitton show as male models showed off creations by pop and rap artist Pharrell Williams. Labels including Dior and Rick Owens changed their schedules to hold shows in the morning, organisers said.<\/p>\n The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum shut early on Tuesday. In Switzerland, local authorities opened air-conditioned theatres for free daytime \u2060cinema screenings.<\/p>\n Construction contractors across the continent altered working hours so employees could avoid the worst of the heat, while retailers struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air-conditioners.<\/p>\n A French agriculture \u2060cooperative said farmers were introducing night shifts for harvesting to protect workers from afternoon heat and fields from fire risk.<\/p>\n Temperatures could hit 40C today and tomorrow in some parts of England and Wales. A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea, and Somerset to Birmingham, was issued by the UK Met Office from 9am today until 9pm tomorrow.<\/p>\n During the peak of the heatwave on these two days, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C, which was measured in Lincolnshire in July 2022.<\/p>\n The latest heatwave is also expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.<\/p>\n Britain’s train operators have advised only essential journeys as the heat has brought speed restrictions.<\/p>\n In Italy, conditions were expected to worsen further, especially across central and northern regions, with the heatwave likely to peak between Sunday and Monday, meteorologists said.<\/p>\n Temperatures could reach 41C between Tuscany and Emilia, while in coastal areas such as Liguria the combination of heat and \u200cextreme humidity could drive perceived temperatures as high as 45C.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0024933d-614.jpg\"\/)
\nA deadly heatwave has disrupted daily life in Paris<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/002492da-614.jpg\"\/)
\nA commuter uses a fan in an attempt to cool down as she exits a tube carriage in London<\/p>\n
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