Extreme weather in Europe

Autobahn cracks during extreme heat in Germany

In Germany, temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees on Saturday, and both people and infrastructure are faltering under the pressure. The concrete on the major Autobahn motorway has cracked in two places outside Berlin, reports the AP.

Several other motorways in Germany have also had to close due to heat damage, according to the German Bild.

The heat is also causing problems with train traffic.

In Berlin, it became so hot that the police deployed water cannons for people to cool off in.

74 drowned in nine days in the heat wave in France

74 people have died in drowning accidents in France since temperatures began to reach extreme levels on June 18, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told Le Parisien.

– The deaths occurred largely in unmonitored rivers, streams and ponds, he says.

Many of the victims were between 15 and 25 years old. According to Nuñez, several of the deaths were caused by heart attacks after people suddenly jumped into cold water. 

US minister on the heat: “More people die in winter”

Large parts of Europe are sweating in what scientists describe as the worst heat wave ever. But US Energy Secretary Chris Wright seems to be playing down the problem, reports Politico.

– There are always more people who die in winter than in summer, because cold is a much greater cause of death than heat, he said earlier this week.

The statement was made at a conservative conference attended by several serious climate skeptics.

The statement is essentially true, Politico points out. Deaths in Europe in winter are currently about eight times more than in summer. But rising temperatures due to human influence are a rapidly growing problem, and in the United States, heat has overtaken cold as a cause of death over the past decade.