Heatwave hits Europe as summer highs come early

MADRID • Even under the shade of large umbrellas at Terraza Colon cafe in the heart of Madrid, it was hot. The tables were empty.

"June is one of the best months for us, so a heat wave right now is no good for business," said manager Daniel Benito, 42, as he helped a waitress rearrange large fans and sprayed the floor with water to try and cool down the space.

"It's just impossible to plan and run a business with such extreme weather."

The temperature in Spain's capital neared 40 deg C on Tuesday, and the heat wave is forecast to envelop Europe in the coming days. Southern Spain may have topped 42 deg C yesterday, with most of the country approaching 40 deg C, according to the country's Aemet weather agency.

A high-pressure system is hovering in the atmosphere over Europe, trapping the heat in an effect sometimes called a "heat dome".

People in Paris, Rome and London were preparing for torrid conditions.

"The heat wave will intensify throughout the week," said Dr Mika Rantanen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. "It will be getting worse every day. Every heat wave in the current climate is enhanced or boosted by climate change."

The heat could add pressure to already volatile commodities markets. Power prices in France and Germany climbed as the temperatures drive demand for electricity to run air conditioners.

European natural gas prices jumped yesterday as the heat wave boosts demand for cooling, further tightening supplies. There is also a risk that grain yields will be curbed even more across western Europe, particularly in France, Spain and Portugal, according to Paris-based analyst Agritel.

Harvests of soft-wheat are approaching, and fields in top producer France already were threatened by one of the hottest and driest springs of the past century, curbing conditions at a time when global supplies are tight because of the war in Ukraine.

In Paris, air conditioners were flying off the shelves as residents prepared for temperatures that could hit 37 deg C on Saturday, according to Meteo France.

Mr Alan Charles Angel was stacking white boxes filled with air conditioners behind a prominent display near the entrance of a Boulanger appliance store in central Paris, replenishing the stock after purchases the day before.

"We put in a big order when the forecast first called for a heat wave, so we have plenty," he said, pulling out units packed under a stairwell and then heading off to a storeroom to get more.

Parts of France have been suffering from a drought that could worsen during the heat wave and increase the risk of wildfires.

In Italy, temperatures could reach 40 deg C in coming days, according to the Meteo Giuliacci weather forecast centre. Temperatures that high can be dangerous to vulnerable people, including the elderly and small children.

Mr Giancarlo Penza of the Sant'Egidio community is in charge of a programme that assists thousands of octogenarians across Italy, particularly in Rome.

"We are already making hundreds of phone calls every day, as we always do as soon as we receive heat wave alerts from the local authorities," Mr Penza said.

Britain also will get a bout of unseasonably high temperatures. Temperatures in the south-east likely will peak at 33 deg C tomorrow, according to the British Met Office. "This is the first spell of hot weather this year, and it is still unusual for temperature to exceed these values in June," said Mr Dan Rudman, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office.

"Many areas will also see some warm nights, with temperatures expected to be in the mid to high teens overnight."

But relief may be swift. Starting on Saturday, a cold front moves in from the north that may bring rain and cooler temperatures.

BLOOMBERG