Europe heatwave: Temperatures to hit 45C in France as death toll grows from 'enormous' bubble of Saharan air sweeping continent

Farmers warn of ‘catastrophic’ honey harvest as deaths of three swimmers on French south coast linked to intense heat

A searing heatwave taking hold across Europe is expected to see temperatures reach 45C in some parts of the continent later this week, prompting fears that bees could be wiped out by the extreme weather.

An “enormous” bubble of warm air from the Sahara has triggered emergency measures in France, where the conditions have been linked to the deaths of three swimmers on south coast beaches.

A 70-year-old man was believed to have been a victim of “thermic shock” after coming into contact with the water during the heat spell on Tuesday, according to French news outlet LCI. Two other people, a 62-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man, reportedly died in similar circumstances.

French farming union MODEF said beekeepers were currently having to feed their bees with syrup and warned: “The heatwave that is coming could really hit [honey] harvests.”

“In the hives, there is nothing to eat, beekeepers are having to feed them with syrup because they risk dying from hunger,” the union stated in French media reports. “For honey producers the season risks being catastrophic. Bees are collecting nothing!”

The blast of scorching heat has led some meteorologists to predict new June records will be set in several European countries in the coming days.

While one Spanish forecaster “hell is coming”, meteorologists in Germany – where air temperatures in the southwest are expected to reach 43C on Wednesday – warned of “extreme thermal stress”.

France’s national forecaster Meteo issued an orange alert, the second highest level of weather warning. The agency has predicted highs of 45C for the towns of Nimes and Carpentras on Friday.

Authorities in Paris are setting up “cool rooms” in municipal buildings, opening pools for late-night swimming and installing extra drinking fountains.

Earlier this week the French government announced it would suspend exams sat by 14 and 15-year-olds, prompting accusations from the opposition that it was overreacting.

“This isn’t scaremongering,” health minister Agnes Buzyn told a news conference.

Tourists in Rome struggle in the June heat (AFP/Getty Images)

Emergency services in Germany urged the public to look out for young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, while authorities in the eastern state of Brandenburg have warned of the high risk of forest fires.

In the Italian coastal town of Eloro, in Sicily, 41 cars were engulfed in flames on Monday after a fire broke out close to a car park where beachgoers had left their vehicles.

The fire brigade said it was not clear what caused it but hot temperatures and dry terrain caused the fire to spread rapidly.

Scientists said heatwaves in Europe are becoming more frequent, linking the intense temperatures to climate change. Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said “monthly heat records all over the globe occur five times as often today as they would in a stable climate.”

Tourists in Rome and Paris scaled back their sightseeing in sweltering temperatures on Tuesday, dousing themselves at fountains as the heatwave took hold.

“It’s really, really uncomfortable right now. The heat is really high, I think it’s over 35 degrees. So for us, doing a tour of two hours and a half, three hours, is really, really difficult,” said Ayelen Rozitchner, a 32-year-old Argentinean tour guide to the French capital.

In the UK, highs of 31C could be seen for eastern parts of England this weekend, while temperatures will be in the upper 20s for revellers at the Glastonbury Festival.

The hot spell is set to be relatively shortlived, however, with unsettled weather moving in from the Atlantic on Sunday.