Sawt Falasteen - Europe scorched by latest heatwave

The latest hot spell that has left the continent sweltering has seen outdoor events cancelled, transport disrupted, schools shut and office workers told to work from home, as the authorities issued health alerts to protect the elderly and vulnerable.

Akshay Deoras, a senior researcher at the University of Reading's National Centre for Atmospheric Science, in England, said it was clear what was behind the rash of heat records.

"Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past," he said.

In France, 49 of the country's 96 mainland departments were on the highest heat alert, with temperatures forecast to climb up to 43C in the southwestern city of Bordeaux and 39C in the capital Paris, weather service Meteo-France said.

The government's emergency response cell warned people not to try to cool off in unsupervised areas such as lakes and rivers, after the drowning deaths at the weekend, which included a 13-year-old girl, according to the civil defence authorities.

Some 845 schools were shut on Monday because of the heat, with another 1,800 set to allow students to leave earlier than usual.

"Last week, it was 32C in the classroom for the children. It's only going to get worse, while the supermarket across the street is cool and air-conditioned," one primary school teacher in the Bordeaux region told AFP.

"Everyone thinks it's normal but one day we're going to end up teaching in the aisles of the supermarket," she added, asking to remain anonymous to speak freely.

French forecasters say the current heatwave, which has already been blamed for the deaths of several elderly people, could end up being as serious as the one in August 2003 that claimed the lives of nearly 15,000 in France.

- 'Intense and early' -

The high temperatures have already seen the cancellation in several towns of France's annual street music festival, while an outdoor screening of Spain's World Cup football match against Saudi Arabia was scrapped in Madrid.

French and Belgian authorities also cancelled or cut back rail services because of fears about breakdowns causing logjams and delays.

Elsewhere in Europe:

- Temperatures in Belgium are expected to be "the hottest ever recorded" in the coming week, warned David Dehenauw, head of forecasting at the IRM meteorological institute.

- Spain's weather service Aemet warned of "extremely high" temperatures for the season, day and night, until Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to hit 44C in some areas.

Aemet spokesperson Ruben del Campo said the extremely high temperatures were "between five and 10 degrees above what is typical for this period in general".

- Portugal's IPMA weather agency said temperatures were above average in general but in some northern and central inland regions were "close to previously recorded maximums".

- Britain's Met Office weather agency issued an amber extreme heat warning -- the second-highest -- from Monday to Thursday, with temperatures forecast to exceed 35C.

Liz Bentley, the chief executive of Britain's Royal Meteorological Society, predicted that existing UK heat records for June would be "annihilated" -- as had already happened in May.

The current heatwave is the second in consecutive months, after an unusually hot spell in May broke new ground.

Scientists have shown that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, and warn they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.

Meteo-France says that of the 51 heatwaves recorded nationwide since 1947, 34 have taken place since 2000 and 26 since 2011.

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H.Darwish--SF-PST