Paris, France: French officials warned Thursday that a record pre-summer heat wave was spreading north of Spain. According to the French Meteorological Agency, the country was the earliest to hit the country, at least since 2005, exacerbating the drought caused by unusually dry winters and springs and increasing the risk of forest fires.
According to the State Meteorological Agency of Spain, Spain, which has already reached the hottest month of May since the beginning of this century, was sweating at a high temperature of 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit). Local governments say at least three flames erupted in Catalonia, including one near Baldmar, about 140 kilometers northeast of Barcelona, ​​which had already burned 500 hectares but could grow to 20,000 hectares before being contained. Said.
Evacuation has not yet been ordered, but people are being encouraged to stay home. In neighboring Portugal, last month was the hottest May since 1931, and most scientists brought early heat to the global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
The fever was set to cross the Pyrenees and enter southern France on Tuesday and hit most of the country by Saturday. At that time, the thermometer was able to reach 38 degrees Celsius in Paris. Authorities have already warned of an increased risk of wildfires in forests around the capital, and Paris and other regions have warned of ozone pollution that occurs when strong sunlight turns carbon emissions into smog. “I was 86 years old and was born here, and I think this is the worst heat wave I’ve ever seen,” Jacqueline Bonaud told AFP in a shaded park in a city in the south of Toulouse. I told you.
Electricity, railroad hit
The grid operator’s RTE says France will import electricity from neighboring countries due to the surge in air conditioning and fan use, as many of the country’s reactors are offline for potential corrosion risk assessment and maintenance. He said he was forced to do that. The intense heat is also lowering the water level of the river. This means that the water used to cool the reactor is too hot to return to the waterway without endangering plants and wildlife, so some nuclear power plants need to reduce their output.
Spain, Italy and other countries have recently restricted the use of air conditioners to save energy, and French energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said he is considering the same for France 2 television. .. Meteo France issued a heatwave alert on Thursday covering half of the country, saying more sectors will be affected in the coming days. “Saturday peaks and temperatures range from 35 to 39 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country,” said Tristan Amm, the agency’s forecaster.
The school stocked up water and some moved the year-end exams to a north-facing room, but some faculties in the south said classes would be canceled on Friday afternoon. Cities such as Bordeaux also have mist appliances installed in the hottest squares and streets.
The railroad operator, SNCF, warns that there may be delays as the heat forces the train to slow down due to deformation of the tracks and damage to electrical equipment. “Our infrastructure is suffering from the heat,” said Thierry Rose, regional director of SNCF, where truck-level temperatures in Bordeaux reached 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. Said. – AFP
