Much of Europe is experiencing unusual heat that is breaking temperature records for the month of May in countries such as the United Kingdom and France. In the neighboring country, this “heat dome” has triggered government alerts following reports of several deaths at amateur sporting events. The French Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, expressed her condolences to the family of a runner who died on Sunday during a popular race in Paris.
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The newspaper Le Parisien reported that the 53-year-old man suffered a heart attack during the race in the 20th district of the capital and that firefighters were unable to resuscitate him. It was not yet known if the cause of the runner’s death was related to the heat, but Ferrari suggested a possible connection.
Almost 35 degrees in London, well above the previous record set in 1922
Temperatures in Paris reached 32 °C (90 °F) in the afternoon. “The events that occurred today (Sunday) during the races are a reminder that exercising in extreme heat requires absolute vigilance,” said Ferrari in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the runner who died in Paris, as well as with those who were treated by emergency services.”
The government attributes seven deaths “directly or indirectly related to the heat.” What I can say today is that “there appear to be seven deaths directly or indirectly related to the heatwave,” said government spokesperson Maud Bregeon on TF1, adding that “all of this will need to be clarified at the end of the current situation.” She also specified that the government had identified “at least five drownings” among these deaths, and urged everyone to remain alert. The spokesperson’s office informed Agence France-Presse that two people drowned in the Gironde department, one in Marne, one in Seine-et-Marne, and another in Maine-et-Loire.
In the city of Lyon, in the southeast of the country, the local media Actu Lyon reported on Monday the death of a woman who suffered heatstroke during another sporting competition, also on Sunday. The national weather service, Météo France, said that temperatures are breaking records for the month of May, exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in many parts of the country and are expected to continue this way throughout the week.
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The United Kingdom broke its record on Monday for the highest temperature recorded in May, after a heatwave was declared in several parts of the country. Residents and tourists sought relief at beaches and parks, and longed for shade during the holiday, as the temperature reached 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) in Kew Gardens, southwest of London, surpassing the previous record of 32.8 °C (91.4 °F) set in 1922 and matched in 1944.
The UK Health Security Agency issued its first orange health alert of the year, warning of an increase in deaths, particularly among the elderly, during the hottest hours of the day. Unprecedented extreme weather events are occurring more frequently as global warming increases.
Experts say these extreme weather events, sometimes deadly and at unusual times and places, put the population at greater risk.
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