Europe heatwave live: UK issues rare red heat warning as record-breaking temperatures in France bring power outages

2 hours ago 5

Rare red heat warning kicks in the UK with temperatures expected to get near 40C

A rare red heat warning has kicked it at 9am London (10am Europe) for large parts of England and Wales, just for the second time ever, with temperatures expected to get close to 40C in some parts of the country.

People use umbrellas and shopping bags to shield themselves from the sun while waiting to cross Oxford Street as Britain experiences record temperatures disrupting schools and transport networks, in London, Britain.

The warning covers an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, and is due to last until 9pm on Thursday, PA news agency reported.

Meteorologist are expecting that during the peak of the heatwave, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C from July 2022.

Gulp. Stay safe everyone.

Key events

Lib Dems urge government to open 'cool hubs' to help vulnerable people at UK braces for extreme heat

Over in the UK, the Liberal Democrats have called for the Government to immediately open air-conditioned public buildings as “cool hubs” for vulnerable people during the heatwave, PA news agency reported.

A view of the City of London skyline and financial in a heat haze this morning as the Met Office issue a red extreme heat warning.

They said gyms, leisure centres, libraries and other buildings could offer relief for those particularly at risk from the extreme heat.

The party also urged ministers to urgently prepare the country for more extreme temperatures by investing in cooling for hospitals, care homes and schools – echoing a call by the independent advisory Climate Change Committee on helping the UK adapt to global warming, PA said.

Earlier, the UK Met Office warned that a combination of extreme heat and humidity could have an impact on public health, infrastructure, power and water supplies.

Europe heatwave 'putting people's health at risk,' WHO chief warns

Head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that Europe’s heatwave is “putting people’s health are risk.”

Here is his message this morning:

“Europe’s heatwave is closing schools and putting people’s health at risk.

The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future.

We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating #ClimateAction and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.”

Europe battles record-breaking heat: is this the new normal? - The Latest

Europe is dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed, trains cancelled and France holding an emergency meeting after heat-related deaths.

And António Guterres, the UN chief, is urging the world to act on fossil fuels as the continent braces for record-breaking heat.

Lucy Hough speaks to Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan about the extraordinary heatwave hitting the continent this week.

Europe battles record-breaking heat: is this the new normal? - The Latest

Heat-related incident leaves 68,000 households with no electricity in northern France

Meanwhile in France, the heatwave caused the country’s first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather, AFP reported.

A heat-related incident with a transformer left around 68,000 households on Wednesday without electricity in the northwestern Finistere department, the authorities said.

Rare red heat warning kicks in the UK with temperatures expected to get near 40C

The warning covers an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, and is due to last until 9pm on Thursday, PA news agency reported.

Meteorologist are expecting that during the peak of the heatwave, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C from July 2022.

Gulp. Stay safe everyone.

Spare a though all key workers who have no choice but have to work physically and outdoors in this weather.

Here is a postal worker from Paris (33C at the moment, but expected to get to 39C later).

A postal worker drinks water during a delivery round in Paris, France.

And a construction worker in London (28C at 9:15am, but going up to 35C later).

A construction worker standing on scaffolding on a hot morning as the Met Office issue a red extreme heat warning in London and south England.

The French city of Bordeaux is one of those expected to be most severely hit by extreme temperatures today.

It’s 33C there and it’s only 10am, and Météo France is expecting the temperatures of up to… 42C later today.

Tourists and residents cool off at Miroir d’Eau in front of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France.

So here is your weather forecast for today, with some of the key European cities:

Paris 41C
Bordeaux 39C
Madrid 38C
Frankfurt 37C
Brussels 36C
Rome 35C
Bologna 35C
London 34C
Amsterdam 34C
Zurich 32C
Prague 32C
Berlin 31C
Barcelona 31C

Essentially, if you are anywhere between Lisbon (24C) and Warsaw (27C), it will be super hot.

Meteo France is showing that all of France is expected to go well above 30C this morning, with two-thirds of the country covered by a red weather alert.

Jakub Krupa

It’s Jakub Krupa here, taking over from Taz Ali.

With the heatwave dominating the headlines across Europe, we will run a special edition of our daily Europe Live blog today focused just on this issue.

I will bring you all the latest here. Good morning.

A Frankfurt Zoo worker sprays alpacas with water during a severe heatwave in Germany.

The French environment minister, Monique Barbut, said the heatwave in France could continue until 14 July.

“Next week should see a relative pause,” she told the French radio channel France Inter.

“But Météo-France tells us there is a strong likelihood that, from the following week onwards, we will see a return to extreme heat, which could last until 14 July.”