Europe heatwave latest: Eiffel Tower summit closed as continent faces record-breaking temperatures

As the Czech Republic braces for soaring temperatures this week, Prague zoo has made special arrangement for the animals.

Parts of the country are expected to hit 37C (98.6F) on Wednesday, with authorities urging caution amid the heatwave sweeping across much of Europe.

In Prague, the city’s zoo has taken creative steps to help animals beat the heat, distributing up to 10 metric tons of ice across enclosures.

The most eye-catching residents twin polar bears Aleut and Gregor, were seen digging into frozen pieces of squid encased in ice.

Mediterranean Sea temperatures surged in June in a marine heatwave, with a Greek scientist warning some species are under threat in what has likely been a record period.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said Copernicus Marine Service data showed sea surface temperatures on 22 June were more than 5Cs above the seasonal average.

The most intense warming in what it called a “marine heatwave” was observed in the western Mediterranean basin, including the Balearic Sea, off Spain, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the west coast of Italy, it said.

“We have seen temperatures we were expecting in the middle of August being recorded in June and … this is why it is considered a record year for temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea,” Christos Spyrou, associate researcher at the Academy of Athens research centre for atmospheric physics, said.

He said that the average sea temperatures in June were 3-6 degrees higher than the average between 1982-2023, which was used as a reference period.

“We expected these sea temperatures in August,” Spyrou said, adding specific temperatures were not yet available.

“Some species will not be able to reproduce or survive in these conditions, especially in increasing temperatures.”

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to Copernicus, making extreme heatwaves occur earlier in the year, and persist into later months.

Several Italian regions banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day on Tuesday, France shut scores of schools and Spain confirmed last month as its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts.

A 69-year-old Greek resident who gave his name as Christos said he had noticed the warming waters off Athens.

“I have been coming here for 11 years, I believe the sea is a little warmer than other years. Every year it gets warmer, both in winter and in summer,” he said

France is on high alert as temperatures soar to 40–41C, with the red alert extended till today.

National weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert.

The Eiffel Tower’s summit remains closed until Thursday for “everyone’s comfort and safety”.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits.

The number of schools shut across the country has surged to nearly 1,900, up from just 200 on Monday, in a dramatic response to the intensifying heatwave.

A Paris-Milan rail service was disrupted because of a mudslide on the French side of the Alps, with full service not expected to be fully restored until mid-July, French rail operator SNCF said.

Barcelona logged its hottest June since 1914, with an average temperature of 26C.

Monday alone saw a searing 37.9C, breaking all previous records for the month.

Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean.

The extended period of above-average temperatures and tropical nights with minimum temperatures staying above 20C could be exacerbated by a heat dome.

Here, Rachel Clun looks at how the weather event is sending temperatures soaring across Europe.

Dozens of heat warnings are in place across France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and well as the Balkans, according to weather aggregator MeteoAlarm.

“Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal,” UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned. “The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous – no country is immune.”

Here, The Independent has put together a full list of European countries currently in the grip of a heatwave and the current advice being given to locals and tourists.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, with extreme heatwaves starting earlier in the year and persisting for longer.

“What is exceptional … but not unprecedented is the time of year,” said World Meteorological Organisation spokesperson Clare Nullis, adding that extreme heat episodes were seen now “which normally we would see later on in the summer.”

Higher temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea tend to reinforce extreme temperatures over land areas, she said.

Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually around the world, according to insurance company Swiss Re, which notes this exceeds the combined toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.

Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, research fellow at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, said: “Heatwaves are silent killers.

“Unlike floods or storms, their impact can be invisible: people who die during extreme heat usually have pre-existing health conditions, and heat is rarely recorded as a contributing cause of death.”

The Red Cross set up an air-conditioned “climate refuge” for residents in southern Malaga, said IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa.

Spanish Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to support the most vulnerable population groups – the very old and the very young, pregnant women, people working outdoors – and the National Society has launched a public-health information drive to provide advice on how to store medication safely and protect pets.

The Red Cross set up a “climate refuge”, air-conditioned down to the low twenties, to help residents “cope with the heat in comfort and with company, avoiding the isolation and loneliness” that extreme heat can impose, as people are forced to stay indoors.