Nearly 200 million Europeans face 35 degree heat today as record-breaking heatwave intensifies

193 MILLION PEOPLE across Europe are expected to experience temperatures above 35 degrees today as a record-breaking heatwave shifts eastwards.

Around 75 million people in Germany alone are forecast to face temperatures above 35 degrees, while more than 404 million across Europe are expected to see highs above 30 degrees, even as the peak of the heatwave begins to move away from western regions.

The surge in temperatures has already broken national records, with Germany recording 41.3 degrees in Saarbrücken and the UK and Switzerland both registering their hottest June days on record earlier in the week.

Authorities across the continent are continuing to respond to the extreme conditions, with health services under strain in France after emergency callouts in Paris rose by 80% compared to the same period last year.

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Swiss operators also shut down reactors at Europe’s oldest nuclear plant after river temperatures rose too high to safely cool the system.

In France, a toddler died on Friday after being found in a hot car in Marseille, while more than 55 drownings have been linked to the ongoing heatwave.

Public events have also been disrupted, with Pride marches postponed in Paris and Lyon due to pressure on emergency services, while a number of festivals and outdoor gatherings have been cancelled or restricted across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Scientists say the heatwave has “shattered numerous temperature records” and is consistent with patterns of human-driven climate change, which is making extreme heat more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization warned that Europe is now experiencing “what we expect to see in a changing climate”, as governments across the continent brace for further disruption as the heat shifts east into the Balkans and beyond.

Additional reporting from Andrew Walsh

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