Europe swelters under punishing heat wave with Paris forecast to hit 104 F

Paris | France and the rest of Europe were still in the grips of the first major heat wave this summer with health warnings in effect Tuesday, even as conditions began to improve in some parts of the region.

Punishing temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Paris and to stay unusually high in Belgium and the Netherlands. In contrast, temperatures were falling in Portugal, where no red heat warnings were issued.

In France, the national weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert, with the Paris region particularly hard hit. The heat wave — defined as consecutive days of very high temperature — is expected to intensify Tuesday and more than 1,300 schools were expected to be partially or fully closed, the Education Ministry said.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits, and the summit of the city's landmark was closed until Thursday.

Farther south, 17 of Italy's 27 major cities were experiencing a heat wave, according to the Health Ministry.

Meteo-France also warned of the heightened risk of wildfires due to the drought-stricken soil, compounded by a lack of rain in June and the recent surge in temperature.

Climate experts warn that future summers are likely to be hotter than any recorded to date. By 2100, France could be up to 4 C (39 F) warmer, with temperatures exceeding 40 C expected every year and extreme heat spikes potentially reaching 50 C (122 F). According to Meteo-France, the country may face a tenfold increase in the number of heat wave days by 2100.

In Portugal, Lisbon was forecast to reach 33 C (91 F), typical for this time of the year, though some inland areas could still see peaks of 43 C (109 F), according to the national weather agency. June temperature records were broken in two locations in Portugal on June 29