France recorded its hottest day in history, reaching 44.3°C in a southwestern town, Météo-France says. The country has also seen 40 drowning deaths in recent days as people attempted to cool off amid the extreme heat wave, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
France experienced its hottest day on record Tuesday, with a temperature of 44.3°C measured in a town in the southwest, according to a Météo-France forecaster cited by Channel 12. The milestone comes amid a severe heat wave sweeping across Western Europe that has already claimed dozens of lives.
Separately, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said at least 40 people have drowned in recent days while trying to cool off during the heat wave, many at beaches, lakes and rivers. The figure was first reported by Israeli media, which also noted that the World Meteorological Organization says Europe is warming more than twice the global average.
As The Zioneer reported Tuesday evening, this marks the second all-time heat record in as many days, following Paris hitting 39°C. The ongoing crisis has also been exacerbated by drownings at unguarded swimming spots. No further details are yet available on the specific locations or timing of the drownings.
2 developments
- StrongEurope heat wave kills at least 40 in France, temperatures to climb further
- StrongFrance sees ‘higher than normal’ deaths from heat wave, minister says
- DevelopingParis records all-time June high of 40.9°C, French weather service says
- StrongFrance sees hottest day on record since 1947, weather agency says
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