Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 26 July 2019

Europe melts under Sahara heat wave, smashes heat records

By ANGELA CHARLTON and ing to 40.7 C (105.3 F) in the
KIRSTEN GRIESHABER western town of Beitem.
Associated Press “This is the highest recorded
PARIS (AP) — Even ice temperature for Belgium in
cream, Italian gelato or history since the beginning
Popsicles couldn’t help this of the measurements in
time. 1833,” said Alex Dewalque
Temperature records that of the country’s Royal Me-
had stood for decades or teorological Institute.
even just hours fell minute — The northern German
by minute Thursday after- town of Lingen set a new
noon and Europeans and national temperature re-
tourists alike jumped into cord at least three times
fountains, lakes, rivers or Thursday, finally hitting 42.6
the sea to escape a suffo- C (108.7 F). Those repeated
cating heat wave rising up records came after the
from the Sahara. country had set a national
On a day that no one on record Wednesday of 40.5
the continent will ever for- C (104.9 F) in Geilenkirchen
get, two potential drug near the Belgian border.
dealers in Belgium even — London recorded its hot-
called the police, beg- test day on record for July,
ging to be rescued from with the mercury climbing
the locked container they to 36.9 C (98.4 F) at Heath-
managed to get them- row Airport. The previous
selves trapped in. July record was 36.7 C (98
It was nearly impossible to A bird sits on a straw bale on a field in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Thursday, July F) in 2015.
keep up with the falling 25, 2019. — In Britain overall, tem-
records as temperatures Associated Press peratures hit 38.1 C (100.6
climbed higher and higher And it is unfortunately go- We’ve been getting water elderly, the sick and the F) in southern England,
under a brutal sun — in Par- ing to continue to worsen,” where ever we go. We got homeless, opening cooling which gave the country a
is and London, in Belgium, said Marshall Shepherd, to play in the fountain. This centers to let people rest, record for the highest July
Germany, the Netherlands professor of meteorology was amazing,” James said. recover or shower. temperature ever but did
— all places where air con- at University of Georgia. France’s heat alert system “They are in the street all not beat the national re-
ditioning is not typically in- Electric fans sold out went to its maximum level day, under the sun. No air cord of 38.5 C (101.3 F) set
stalled in homes, cafes or across Paris — and tradi- of red for the first time dur- conditioning, no way to in August 2003. Britain’s Met
stores. Even office air con- tional folding fans made ing last month’s heat wave protect oneself from the Office said its temperature
ditioning systems strained a comeback on the city’s , when France saw its high- heat,” said Ruggero Gatti, records go back to 1865.
under the hot, dry air that stuffy Metro. Trains were est-ever recorded temper- an IT worker who joined — The Dutch National Insti-
was trapped between two canceled in Britain and ature of 46 degrees Celsius other Red Cross volunteers tute for Public Health and
stormy weather systems. France, with authorities in (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit). handing out water bottles, the Environment issued a
Climate scientists warned both nations urging travel- On Thursday, about one- soup and yogurt to the “smog alarm” Thursday for
these types of heat waves ers to stay home. Messages fifth of French territory was homeless in the Paris sub- areas including the densely
could become the new to “Hydrate yourselves!” under a red alert, stretch- urb of Boulogne. populated cities of Amster-
normal but they loom as blared from the radio and ing from the English Chan- Across the Channel, the dam, Rotterdam and The
a giant challenge for tem- TV, and water bottles were nel through the Paris region heat damaged overhead Hague due to high ozone
perate Europe. As emis- handed out with abandon. and down to Burgundy, af- electric wires between levels.
sions keep warming the Still, the atmosphere was fecting at least 20 million London’s St. Pancras train In Germany, Switzerland
planet, scientists say there buoyant, as people sought people. station and Luton Airport, and Austria, some com-
will be more and hotter to stay cool yet embrace French authorities have blocking all train lines. East munities painted vital rail
heat waves, although it’s the moment. been particularly wary Midlands Trains posted a tracks white in hopes that
too early to know wheth- Katy James, visiting Paris since a 2003 heat wave message to passengers on the light color would bring
er this specific hot spell is from Chicago, was one of killed nearly 15,000 people, Twitter, saying simply “DO down the temperature a
linked to man-made cli- the lucky ones with an air- many of them elderly, stuck NOT TRAVEL.” few degrees and the tracks
mate change. conditioned room but she alone in stiflingly hot apart- The sheer levels of heat on would not get warped by
“There is likely the DNA was still out in the streets, ments. Thursday afternoon were the heat. German railways
of climate change in the enjoying the atmosphere. “The science behind heat nothing short of astonish- Deutsche Bahn said pas-
record-breaking heat that “We’ve had such a good wave attribution is very ing: sengers who had booked
Europe and other parts of time. The Parisians have robust — the first extreme — The Paris area hit 42.6 C tickets for Thursday or Fri-
the world are experiencing. been so accommodating. weather event to be de- (108.7 F), beating the previ- day and wanted to delay
finitively linked to global ous record of 40.4 C (104.7 their trips could do so with-
warming was the 2003 Eu- F) set in 1947. out charge.
ropean heat wave,” said — The Netherlands’ me- In Cologne in western Ger-
NASA climate scientist Kate teorological institute an- many, volunteers handed
Marvel. “We know that as nounced a record that out free water while others
the climate warms, heat beat the previous record sunbathed on the dried-up
waves become more likely set just a day ago: 40.7 C banks of the Rhine River. In
and more severe.” (105.3 F) in the Gilze Rijen Bavaria’s prisons, inmates
So as tourists frolicked in municipality near the Bel- were getting cold cucum-
fountains, authorities and gian border. ber soup, fruit and yoghurt
volunteers in Paris and Lon- — Belgium hit all-time re- for lunch and more water
don fanned out to help the cords twice in the day, ris- than normal.q