A heatwave is moving eastwards across Europe — red alerts have been issued in several countries
The Guardian reports this.
Red alerts for extreme heat have been issued in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Local authorities have urged people to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.
Temperatures in Budapest are expected to exceed 40°C on 30 June. The day before, on 29 June, temperatures in Belgrade and Bucharest reached 38°C and 37°C respectively, whilst Slovakia set a new temperature record of 40.5°C.
The Hungarian authorities have opened more than 2,000 air-conditioned cooling centres, whilst the Paks nuclear power station has been granted a temporary exemption from cooling water temperature regulations to avoid a reduction in electricity output.
In Western Europe, where the heatwave has already begun to ease, local authorities have reported the consequences: over 1,000 deaths have been recorded in France, and over 800 in Spain. In Germany, temperature records have been broken for the third day running, and the extreme heat has caused tram tracks to warp.
Experts note that Central and Eastern Europe are particularly vulnerable to the heat due to the architecture of the socialist era: concrete prefabricated blocks of flats are designed to retain heat and lack summer ventilation. Air-conditioning usage in the region remains low compared to the European average of 19 per cent.
In Ukraine, rolling blackouts have been reintroduced due to the intense heat. From 17:00 to 22:00 on 30 June, hourly power cuts will be in effect, ranging from 0.5 to 1 stage.
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