Europe Faces Extreme Heatwave with Red Alerts Issued

Paris. 'Red Alert' has been issued in various countries in Western and Central Europe including France and Spain due to extreme heat. The lives of the people have been affected as temperatures are forecast to rise further in the coming days and exceed 40 degrees Celsius. 

Meteo-France, the weather forecasting agency, has stated that a severe weather warning has been issued in more than half of France's regions. On Monday, the temperature in Bordeaux reached 42 degrees Celsius, and hundreds of schools have been ordered to close due to extreme heat. 

Meanwhile, two children, aged two and four, were found dead inside their car in the southern French city of Carpentras, which has been linked to the extreme weather conditions. Authorities in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Luxembourg have also issued similar red alerts in their countries. Meteorologists have stated that this could be the longest heatwave in recent years due to hot air moving north from the Sahara Desert, trapping the hot air in the affected regions.

According to scientists, such frequent heatwaves are a sign of global warming. According to Meteo-France, 34 out of 51 heatwaves recorded in France since 1947 have occurred since 2000, and 26 have occurred since 2011.

Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday in many parts of Europe, with Paris forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius. On Monday, many train lines in the capital Paris reduced their services. France's national railway operator SNCF has urged people at risk to avoid or postpone train travel this week. 

According to the Ministry of Education, about 845 schools in France have been completely closed, while arrangements have been made for students in another 1,800 schools to finish classes early.  However, despite the heat, more than 1 million high school students are taking their final exams for graduation. 

Red Alert is the highest of the four warnings issued by Meteo-France, advising people to exercise extreme caution in potentially life-threatening situations. Dozens of other regions in France are under the second highest warning, 'Orange Alert', affecting an estimated 63 million people nationwide.

The full circumstances of the deaths of the children found dead in the car in southern France are not yet clear. However, it is reported that they had returned from shopping with their mother and were trapped in a car with closed windows in 39-degree heat. 

Meanwhile, the French government has urged people not to swim in unsupervised unsafe areas and not to seek coolness after 13 people died by drowning in rivers and lakes over the weekend. In the southwestern Gironde region, local authorities reported on Sunday that three people aged 80 to 95 had died due to extreme heat.

Sales and consumption of alcohol were banned during the annual national street music festival 'Fête de la Musique' last weekend after temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in France. This ban was applied to all events organized by the French government and its agencies. 

The government stated that this step was taken 'to protect emergency and health services and to allow medical staff to focus on caring for the most vulnerable people'. Although the highest temperatures are expected on the country's west coast, Meteo-France has stated that temperatures will be around 36 to 40 degrees Celsius in most other parts of the country. 

Weather forecasters have warned that this heatwave will be 'widespread, long-lasting, and intense', and temperatures are not expected to decrease until the weekend.