France records all time hottest temperature at above 45 degrees Celsius
- by Suramya-Kaushik
- Jul 01, 2019 10:48
For the very first time Europe has been enveloped in heat wave above 45 degress. The temperature in France on Friday surpassed 45 degrees Celsius as confirmed by their state weather forecaster Meteo-France. The record was set in the village of Villevieille in the southern department of Gard, which registered temperature of 45.1 degrees Celsius. The previous record that made the news was at 44.1 degrees Celsius in the same area during August 2003 heat wave, as told by Meteo-France told AFP.
Heat related deaths have been reported in Italy, France and Germany, mainly among the elder generations. By now at least two deaths have been linked to heat wave as reported in Spain. The heat wave of 2003 is still remembered in the worst of nightmares for French people. That year, nearly 15,000 people were estimated to have died because of the heat which comprised majorly elders.
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn warned people to not find diving into water as the ultimate solution to escape the heat wave as four people have already drowned since the beginning of the week. The warning was issued both for the young and elderly which asked them to plunge into cold water at only designated bathing areas. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, “I want to appeal to the sense of responsibility of citizens – there are avoidable deaths in every heat wave.” According to the scientists, global warming is the reason behind the increased temperatures adding that global warming linked to fossil fuel use could make such severe scorchers more frequent. However, the French government has asked people to take avoidable measures to escape the heat wave.
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