https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/world/europe/europe-heat-wave.html
European Heat Wave? It’s the New Normal.
Meteorologists say temperatures could climb above 40 degrees Celsius, or more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, across large stretches of the continent.
By Megan Specia
Temperatures were set to soar across Europe beginning on Wednesday, with authorities from Paris to Warsaw issuing heat alerts, canceling events and bracing for potentially record heat across the region.
Meteorologists say the temperatures, a result of a warm air mass traveling north from Africa, could climb well above the typical June average to 40 degrees Celsius, or more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, in large stretches of the continent.
Temperatures hit 98 degrees Fahrenheit in Berlin, 96 degrees in Vienna, 95 degrees in Warsaw and 92 degrees in Paris, and it was likely to get worse, not better, in many places.
Heat waves like these are becoming more frequent and prolonged, with hotter temperatures appearing earlier in the season, weather experts say. Here’s what to know as the mercury rises.
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Exams will be postponed — and so will vacations.
Governments and residents were scrambling to make preparations for the worst of the weather, expected to peak on Friday afternoon before easing over the weekend.
“The whole government is mobilized,” President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Monday as the heat wave made headlines and dominated television.
In France, memories of a deadly 2003 heat wave that killed 15,000 people in the country and left much of Europe sweltering still loom large. Around the country, fans and air-conditioners flew off store shelves.
Because of the heat, the education ministry made a rare decision to postpone exams for middle school students that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
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Karine Sabatier, 47, who was on her lunch break in the Tuileries gardens in Paris near her offices on Tuesday, said that one of her two children was taking the exam, and that her family was forced to delay vacation plans because of the change.
“It’s true that it’s a bit bothersome, but I understand the measure,” she said. “Some schools don’t have any air-conditioning at all.”
In Paris, older, sick and vulnerable people were encouraged to sign up for a service that provides regular check-ins by phone, and city authorities announced that some parks would be open overnight.
The temperatures held the potential to affect the quarterfinal stage of the Women’s World Cup, which is being played in France. Regulations call for water breaks if the weather surpasses 32 degrees Celsius, or nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
In Spain, the national weather agency issued warnings for several parts of the country, with temperatures expected to climb by the weekend to above 40 degrees Celsius — or more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit — in Madrid and other inland areas.
As temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Vienna, the authorities rolled out a series of measures to help cool the streets down. The town hall installed mist showers in busy spots, sprayed the hot asphalt on main thoroughfares with water and opened up several swimming pools at no charge.
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