Paris, France. Authorities in northern France were working on Wednesday to restore electricity to thousands of homes after power cuts during a severe heatwave affecting much of western Europe. Officials said healthcare centres and other critical sites were being prioritised after outages on Tuesday linked to a transformer incident.
Power restoration efforts
Generators were provided to retirement homes to help manage the disruption, authorities said. Officials said the incident was accidental and related to the current heatwave, adding that no one was injured.
Extreme temperatures across Europe
Record-breaking temperatures across Europe, reaching as much as 18 degrees Celsius above normal according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, have disrupted transport networks and forced schools and tourist sites to close.
Meteo France said the conditions were comparable to a heatwave in August 2003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.
Weather pattern and climate trend
It remained uncertain how long the current heatwave would last. The event has been driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, named for a shape that allows temperatures to build day after day.
The World Meteorological Organisation has said Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.
Impact on daily life and work
The heatwave has forced builders to change working hours so employees can avoid the hottest periods. Retailers have struggled to meet demand for fans and portable air-conditioners, while farmers have harvested grain at night after a ban on afternoon work because of fire risks.
Dozens of people have drowned while trying to escape the heat by jumping into bodies of water.
Britain power demand rises
In Britain, the grid operator asked generators to make more power available as soaring temperatures were expected to break records later on Wednesday.