France, Portugal break record for hottest May Day, Italy enters red alert

ROME: Italy issued a red alert for the capital Rome on Thursday, Portugal and France reported their hottest weather in May and Europe battled a heatwave that broke records across the continent.The UK and France have already reported their hottest May days on record this week, as a “heat dome” brings sweltering temperatures to western Europe that are usually not seen until mid-summer.There have been a number of deaths, mostly drownings, in Britain and France, which authorities believe are related to the heat, while Portugal’s Health Minister Ana Paula Martins reported a surge in hospitalizations due to the heatwave.Temperatures in the central Portuguese town of Mora hit 40.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 40 degrees Celsius set in May 2001, the weather agency announced on Thursday, warning that the heat wave was “very likely” to last until early June.Italy has not experienced the highest temperatures so far, but officials on Thursday warned people in Rome and four northern cities to avoid direct sunlight.“We were sweating a lot,” Spanish tourist Nana Martinez Garcia said as she tried to keep cool as temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius outside the Colosseum on Thursday. “We drank a lot of water so we could calm down,” she said. Her friend Maria Angelis Melinas Tello also chimed in, saying they “stayed in the shade” whenever possible.Italy’s first red alert of the year also covers Florence, Bologna, Brescia and Turin, warning of “possible negative consequences for the health of healthy, active people”.Scientists say human-driven climate change is exacerbating such extremes, with weather events such as heat waves, droughts and floods becoming more intense and frequent.Tennis DilemmaThe worst of Britain’s heat appears to be over, but much of France continued to bake on Thursday.Provisional data released by Meteo France in the evening showed that the maximum temperature in the southwestern city of Angoulême reached 37.8 degrees Celsius, breaking the May temperature record just set on Monday and Tuesday.A southwestern school was forced to close Thursday and Friday afternoons after temperatures in hallways reached 53 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, causing students to fall ill, local officials said.“There were even people who fainted and vomited,” said Florian Deygas, a Landes regional official.Following record-breaking temperatures in France on Monday and Tuesday, France’s national meteorological agency said temperatures were expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius in Paris, with an orange heatwave alert in place.Players at the French Open on the outskirts of Paris have been enduring sweltering heat, with one player collapsing after winning a grueling, hours-long match.Italy’s Jannik Sinner, a heavy favorite at the Roland Garros tournament, died from the heat en route to a shock second-round loss to rival Juan Manuel Cerundolo, complaining of dehydration, dizziness and nausea.Venue staff spray water on the clay courts after each game, and when the day’s play is over, “we flood the courts, soak them to replenish the different layers that make up the clay,” said Philippe Vaillant, chief maintenance worker.In Spain, national weather agency Aemet issued a heat warning for parts of the northeast and north on Friday, with temperatures expected to soar to 37 degrees Celsius.Temperatures across Spain were “exceptionally high” for this time of year, reaching levels typically seen in the summer, the office said in a social media post. Temperatures are expected to drop significantly next week.Back in Rome, American tourist Josh Ren said he had a plan for dealing with the hot weather: “Wake up early, do things early, get plenty of rest. “Go sit in some air-conditioned restaurants, go to museums, and stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day.”