In contrast to the wet and windy start to the summer in the northern half of Britain, the south-east of England is looking rather parched right now, even after the weekend’s rain. The south-east has been on the margin of a brutal heatwave which has taken grip in central and southern Europe, with temperatures reaching over 40C in many places. What is particularly shocking about this heat is its persistence, because it began early, in June. For now the extreme heat has returned to its more normal habitat, confining itself to north Africa and southern parts of the Mediterranean but over the past weeks long standing temperature records have been tumbling across Europe.
Germany’s all-time highest temperature record was broken on 5 July with 40.3C in Bavaria, and in the Netherlands, Maastricht set a new national record for July of 38.2C. Spain set new record temperatures for both May and June, and this month Geneva recorded the highest ever temperature in Switzerland north of the Alps, with 39.7C.
The impacts have been felt far and wide, especially in the power markets. Swiss and French nuclear power plants have been forced to reduce power output to avoid heating the Rhine and Aare rivers with their waste water. And, ironically, solar power plants have suffered slight reductions in power output because of the intense heat. Wildfires raging in Greece from heat and drought have sent up vast plumes of smoke that are clearly visible on satellite pictures. Such heat takes its toll on public health too: an estimated 700 people died in France in the heatwave at the end of June and early July.
