Deadly heatwave swelters on
2003-08-07 15:24
Paris - There was no sign of a let-up to the European heatwave as temperatures remained close to record levels across much of the continent, leaving an exhausted population gagging for some cool.
Thermometers from London to Lisbon once again climbed to the high 30s Celsius - higher in parts of Portugal, Spain and Italy - and forecasters warned the dog days could last until the end of next week.
It has been so hot that even sex is affected.
In Austria, a specialist warned against too much sex in the sultry weather.
"Sustained sexual activity during a heat wave significantly heightens the risk of a heart attack," said Norbert Bachl of the Sports Medicine Institute in Vienna.
He advised couples to make love at night.
Glaciers melting
Emergency workers continued to fight forest fires across parts of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro, although officials said most of the blazes were now under control.
In Switzerland, authorities reported that Alpine glaciers were melting in the unaccustomed heat, creating dangerous conditions for climbers and hikers and leading to the closure of some walking routes.
In France, state-owned rail operator SNCF shut down part of the line between Nancy and Belfort in the east of the country after tracks buckled. The metal reached a temperature of 51°C on Tuesday, said officials.
Across western Europe suppliers of fans and air-conditioning equipment reported a run on stocks, as wilting householders sought relief from their mounting discomfort.
Bumper ice-cream trade
"There's not a single fan left in Vienna. We're having to get them as fast as possible from Hungary where it's less hot," said Guenther Waschatz, president of the Austrian Association of Electrical Goods Dealers.
Drinks and ice-cream sellers were also enjoying bumper trade, with the chamber of commerce in the Italian city of Milan reporting the country had spent more than €560m (about R4 674m) extra in June and July on cold nourishment.
With the heat aggravating the severe drought already established across several countries, water shortages were reported along the Adriatic coast of Croatia and Montenegro.
In Serbia, power production was hit because of low water pressure at hydroelectric plants.
14 deaths from heatstroke
Farmers in the western French region of Brittany said that at least 100 000 animals - mainly poultry - had died in the heat, and the fire services have been repeatedly called out to douse chicken-sheds with water in order to keep the temperature down.
Doctors across the continent reissued advice on how to stay cool after 14 deaths from heatstroke in Spain.
In the western French city of Nantes, a man fell into a coma after spending too long in an overheated car, reported Le Parisien newspaper.
European forest fires have destroyed about 175 000ha - most of it in Portugal where 14 people were killed this week.
Long, dry period
In France, five people died in blazes that swept through the Mediterranean coast and Corsica last week.
The heatwave was caused by an anticyclone which has anchored itself firmly over the west European land mass, holding off rain-bearing depressions over the Atlantic and funnelling hot air north from Africa.
The effects of the weather pattern are being aggravated by the long, dry period that preceded it, meteorologists said.
Because the landscape contains little moisture, less of the sun's energy is taken up in creating evaporation.
Although there was no clear evidence putting the blame on global warming and greenhouse gas production, scientists at the World Meteorological Office point out that the world's 10 hottest recorded years have all taken place since 1987.
- AFP