Early Heat Wave Breaks May Records Across Western Europe

Temperature records toppled across Western Europe on Tuesday as an early heat wave continued, prompting government warnings about risks to life. London recorded a rare tropical night in which temperatures stayed above 20 C (68 F). Britain’s Met Office said southern England could reach 35 C (95 F) on Tuesday.

The temperature hit 34.8 C (94.6 F) at Kew Gardens in London, breaking the previous mark of 32.8 C set in 1922 and 1944.

Records also fell in France, where temperatures reached 36 C (97 F) on Monday in the southwest and stayed above 20 C (68 F) at night. Météo-France described a heat dome producing readings more than 10 C above seasonal norms. The U.K. Health Security Agency issued an amber health alert for large parts of the country through Thursday, warning of risks especially for older people during peak heat hours.

Many homes, schools and businesses lack air conditioning, leaving residents exposed during the unseasonable warmth.

French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said reports indicated at least seven deaths potentially related to the high temperatures, including five drownings and two deaths during sports competitions. A 13-year-old boy died after entering a reservoir in Halifax, northern England, on Monday, police said.

Officials also reported at least three other apparent drownings involving teenagers in U.K. lakes and reservoirs, plus a 60-year-old man who died in the sea in southwest England. On France’s Atlantic coast, two people drowned on Sunday at resorts in the Gironde region.

The top regional administrator, Sophie Brocas, urged beachgoers to exercise the utmost caution.

In Scotland, firefighters worked through the night to extinguish a grass fire sending smoke from Arthur’s Seat above Edinburgh. Trains to and from London’s Waterloo station were disrupted by a report of smoke on the tracks. The unseasonable heat reached Spain, where weather service spokesperson Rubén del Campo said Seville hit 38 C (100 F) over the weekend.

Large parts of the Iberian Peninsula recorded temperatures 5 to 10 C above normal for May. Temperatures in Rome were forecast to reach 32 C (89.6 F) on Tuesday.