A brief look at the causes and effects of high temperatures across the continent

Is this a record-breaking heatwave?

France registered its highest temperature on record on Friday, and records for this time of year have already been broken or look likely to be broken imminently across much of the rest of Europe, including Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Austria. The weather in June is usually slightly cooler in Europe, building up to highs later in the summer. However, there was also a June heatwave last year, with prolonged high temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere, accompanied by a drought in many areas.

Will it carry on for long?

In the UK, temperatures have reached the high 20s in Scotland, Wales and south-west England, and may top 30C in some parts, according to the Met Office. On Saturday, temperatures will rise further in parts of central and eastern England, with 30C to 34C possible. But a cold front will reach the country on Sunday, lowering temperatures again.

Why is it so hot?

Warm air is rising across Europe from north Africa, bringing high temperatures right across the continent. The UK has remained cooler, partly as a result of being further from the source of the warm air and partly because of the cooling effects of the North Sea, Met Office experts said.

Is this heatwave a result of climate breakdown?

It is not possible to pin the current heatwave definitively on climate change, because the weather varies so much naturally. Moreover, the likely effects of climate change are not simple. For example, heavy rain and cloudy weather across swathes of northern Europe, including the UK, are likely to become more common as a result of the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing the jet stream weather system to become fixed in position.

However, this year’s weather is certainly in line with the predictions scientists have made of rising temperatures, more heatwaves and prolonged droughts interspersed with periods of heavy flooding in some areas.

Shouldn’t we be enjoying it?

Heatwaves can have pleasant effects, with long sunny days encouraging people into parks and on to beaches, and they certainly bring a smile to the faces of ice-cream sellers.

However, the body’s ability to regulate its own temperature is crucial; babies are less well able to regulate their temperature and must be kept in well-ventilated conditions. Older people also lose their regulating abilities as they age and can quickly overheat.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest An emergency worker takes the blood pressure of a woman suffering from the heat in Tours, France. Photograph: Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images

In the European heatwave of 2003, there were about 70,000 excess deaths attributed to the long hot spell. People with underlying illnesses can also have problems, and even those who are fit and healthy can experience difficulty sleeping and discomfort, so people are advised to stay hydrated and wear loose clothing at night.

Any more gloom?

There is the impact on farmers. While warm weather at the right time is crucial for many crops during their growing periods, excessively high temperatures can inhibit growth, particularly if they are prolonged. Livestock can also suffer in the heat and need extra care.

The problems do not stop there: as Germany’s melting roads have shown, Europe’s infrastructure is not built to cope with such extremes, and adapting it is likely to be expensive and take decades.

Finally, one of the ironies of the climate emergency is that hot weather encourages greater use of air conditioning, which was cited recently by BP as a key factor in raising greenhouse gas emissions last year.

But as Greenpeace has pointed out, the deaths in Europe are of a relatively small number compared with the “far bigger disasters already occurring in hotter, poorer countries in the global South”. In poorer countries with less advanced infrastructure, global heating is likely to bring drought and water stress, making agriculture more difficult if not impossible across large areas of land, leading to food shortages and potentially conflict and mass migration.