Millions of people across Europe are sweltering through record temperatures, with 40 fatalities from drowning recorded in France the past week as residents seek relief from the searing heat. The UK has been issued with a red extreme weather warning and the extreme temperatures are expected to spread through eastern Europe in the coming days.
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TRANSCRIPT
As temperatures soar throughout Europe, the very young and the elderly are at the greatest risk.
NATALIA:"Would you like to go outside for a little stroll before it gets too hot?
VOICE 2: "Yes I would"
At this aged care home in Bristol, manager Natalia Wrzosek says staff are taking extra precautions.
"It is a concern and we made sure that we planned ahead, making sure that everyone is informed about our expectancies. How we are going to keep this this place as cold as possible through the heatwave."
With red extreme weather warnings being issued in the United Kingdom, Drake Primary School principal Victoria Langley says the classrooms are struggling to stay cool.
"Our buildings aren't very well designed to deal with these kind of temperatures, so over the last few years in June and July we do get up to over 30 degrees in some of our classrooms."
Dr Mireia Ginesta is a climate scientist at the University of Oxford.
She says what makes this heatwave potentially deadly for the UK is the level of humidity.
"This heatwave, it's exceptional especially in the UK because humidity is very, very high. UK is surrounded by ocean, so whenever the air particles are entering into the UK, there's a high chance that they are carrying humid air. But in this particular heatwave, the dew point, which is a measure of how humid is the air, it's around 18 degrees right now. From 21 degrees and higher the air is very, very oppressive so the sweat struggles to evaporate and we are at 18 degrees. The last heatwave that was in 1976, the dew point was just seven degrees. So nothing compared to this, to the heatwave that we are having now."
Since the 18th of June, 40 people have died in heatwave related drownings in France as the temperatures shatter records for June.
Professor Liz Bentley is the chief executive at the Royal Meteorology Society.
She says that jumping into cold water after being in extreme heat can send the body into shock.
"So you're hot on dry land, you jump into the water and it's relatively cold compared to the temperature you've just experienced. Your body goes into shock mode and it starts to shut down. You stop breathing. You hold your breath, your body automatically just starts to shut down. And that's what we've seen, we saw that during the May heatwave, and there's already been reports of a number of people across France who are dying because they're jumping into cold water, and we may well see a similar, experience again in the UK over the coming days."
Without widespread air conditioning in France, the heat has been especially punishing for the many Parisians living in attic apartments.
Amelie, a 23-year-old student from Sydney living in Paris, says this has been the hardest week she's had in the apartment.
"And this particular apartment, because of the fact we have only one window and because of the fact it gets light from about midday to when the sun sets, which here is like 10:00 pm, it means it's just baking in the whole afternoon and it's impossible to just get a respite from it."
Her roommate Francesca says poor insulation is a major issue throughout Europe.
"It just has to do first of all with the colour which is dark blue, which means that clearly instead of reflecting light and reflecting heat, it actually traps it within itself and because there's probably a lack of insulation because these are pretty old buildings, even like the apartment is recently renovated. But one of the biggest sources of emissions in France and in Europe is buildings, not only construction materials and everything and construction processes, but mainly from using energy to cool down or heat up the buildings because they're not well insulated."
The heatwave is expected to extend into Eastern Europe in the coming days, with Poland, Croatia and Hungary receiving warnings for extreme heat.
In Spain, the national weather service says temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days, offering some respite.
With temperatures reaching the mid 40s through parts of the country, visitors like Zülfiye Özmen are doing their best to enjoy Madrid.
"We came from Turkiye, our country is very hot, and we are used to this weather, but your country is very hot and we feel tired. But it is a beautiful, amazing city."
Scientists warn that climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of heat and drought, particularly in Southeastern Europe, leaving the region more exposed to health risks and wildfires.
Mary Friel, the Senior Officer of Climate Policy at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, says people should take precautions to stay out of the heat.
"That is why IFRC is urging people to take this heat wave seriously and to look out for those most at risk to save lives. We are speaking as another intense heat wave sweeps across Europe. Health authorities across regions have issued heat alerts as the coming days pose serious health risks, and for many living in cities, they are feeling little relief overnight."
With the heatwave expected to continue through parts of Europe, she has urged everybody to check in on their loved ones and those who are most vulnerable.
"We know the most extreme impacts are felt by the elderly, children, pregnant women, people living with chronic illnesses, outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness, migrants, and people living in housing prone to overheating without access to cool spaces."
