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French authorities issued red alerts for a record 35 departments and restricted alcohol at the Fête de la Musique as a heatwave pushed temperatures above 40 °C across much of the country.
France 24French authorities placed more than one-third of the country under a red heat alert on Sunday, issuing the highest danger-to-life warning for a record 35 of the 96 mainland departments while 45 others received an orange warning. Level one or two alerts covered about 53 million people, or 76 percent of the population.
Météo-France stated that very high temperatures are setting in for the long term and described the heatwave as of exceptional severity and duration.
Temperatures could exceed 40 °C in many places on Sunday, with some areas forecast to reach 42 °C or beyond from Monday. The national heat index, an average of day- and night-time highs at 30 weather stations, is expected to hit its highest ever level. The nationwide Fête de la Musique, held every year on the summer solstice with free street performances, prompted additional measures.
Culture Minister Catherine Pégard urged extreme vigilance, and several towns cancelled pre-7 pm performances or moved them indoors. Many towns banned drinking on the street and in public spaces in red-alert areas, and no alcohol was on sale at municipally organised events. In Paris, high-alcohol beers, fortified wines and spirits were banned along the banks of the Seine and the Canal St-Martin.
Nearly 5,000 police and 2,500 emergency and health service workers were deployed across Paris. City hall installed more than 1,300 free public water fountains, and more than 1,500 local shops signed up to fill personal water bottles without charge. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a government heat crisis meeting on Saturday and planned another on Sunday.
More than 800 schools announced they would not open on Monday, while another 1,800 rescheduled classes and end-of-year exams. SNCF head Jean Castex advised vulnerable passengers to avoid taking the train and postpone journeys if possible. The heatwave also prompted expanded warnings elsewhere in Europe.
Italian authorities expanded heat warnings for Sunday from seven to eight cities in northern and central Italy. Spain’s AEMET issued red warnings for northern regions, with temperatures between 40 °C and 42 °C forecast in major river valleys and inland areas such as Andalucía and Extremadura, rising to nearly 44 °C by Tuesday. 6 °C set in Southampton in 1976.
middleeasteye.netThe Lebanese environmental activist was injured two weeks earlier at her house on Mansouri beach and died Friday. She had protected sea turtle nesting sites for more than 25 years.
The IndependentExtreme heat, wind and drought conditions fueled multiple wildfires across the western United States on Sunday. An uncontained blaze in Utah prompted the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City.
The Japan TimesFrance restricted alcohol sales at festivals and kept parks open overnight as temperatures reached 39-41 °C. Similar alerts covered most of Germany and parts of Italy and Spain.