At Least 40 People Drown in France Trying To Escape Scorching Heat Wave

At least 40 people in France have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas as they tried to escape the sweltering heat over the last week. The French prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, told reporters on Tuesday, “There is a tragic scourge of drownings.”“The latest figures we’ve received are 40 deaths since June 18. Most of the victims are young people,” Mr. Lecornu said.Last year, 409 people died from drowning over a 122-day period in France, which equates to about 23 drowning deaths a week. Large swaths of France are expected to see temperatures hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. And the country recorded its hottest afternoon and night temperature records since 1947. France’s national weather service, Meteo France, said 54 departments are under a red heat wave alert due to the “oppressive and exhausting heat.” The scorching temperatures are expected to last through the end of the week. Meteo France warned that “further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records.”As temperatures soared in France, a country where only about 25 percent of households have air conditioning, people were seen jumping into rivers to cool off, despite warnings about currents.French officials also banned drinking alcohol in public in “red alert” zones and told concert organizers to limit the consumption of alcohol at their events to “preserve emergency services and allow medics to concentrate on taking care of the most vulnerable.”Meteo France has compared the current temperatures to the 2003 heat wave, which was estimated to have caused roughly 15,000 deaths. Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Germany are also under extreme heat warnings. Spain’s national weather service has said that temperatures there could reach up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit, and many of its traditional bonfires have been canceled due to wildfire concerns. The high temperatures are the result of a slow-moving weather pattern known as an Omega block, which appears similar in shape to the Greek letter, with low-pressure systems on both sides and high-pressure systems in the middle. The areas that are under the high-pressure systems tend to see hot and dry conditions, and the high-pressure systems also limit cloud formation, which contributes to the higher temperatures. Areas under the low-pressure systems tend to see cool and rainy conditions. Omega blocks typically last between three and 10 days, but can last for weeks.

At Least 40 People Drown in France Trying To Escape Scorching Heat Wave

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