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BLAST FURNACE FRANCE

Heatwave warning for school trips to France as Europe ravaged by 40C Sahara blast and officials are forced to open ‘cool rooms’

WARNINGS have been issued for pupils heading on school trips to France, as the country is ravaged by a 40C Saharan blast.

French authorities have issued an "orange" alert for the record-breaking heat this week and will be forced to open "cool rooms".

Youngsters sunbathe and cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in Paris
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Youngsters sunbathe and cool themselves down in a pond at the Trocadero esplanade in ParisCredit: AFP or licensors
People sunbathe near the Trocadero fountains and the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a heatwave is expected in much of the country
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People sunbathe near the Trocadero fountains and the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a heatwave is expected in much of the countryCredit: Reuters
A woman walks her dog through a fountain installation in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24
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A woman walks her dog through a fountain installation in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24Credit: AFP or licensors
The mercury is set to soar over 40C in France this week
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The mercury is set to soar over 40C in France this week
Meteorologist Steven Tual said the hot weather would bring an intense period of heat for the rest of June. In this tweet he indicated it was the hottest heatwave since the 2003 to 2006 summer periods of intense heat
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Meteorologist Steven Tual said the hot weather would bring an intense period of heat for the rest of June. In this tweet he indicated it was the hottest heatwave since the 2003 to 2006 summer periods of intense heat

Orange is the third out of four warning levels - red, the highest, has never been used.

The highest temperature expected in the country this week is a whopping 43C in rural areas of the south west on Thursday.

The most severe heatwave to date was on June 22, 2003, when it reached 40.7C in Paris.

This week the heat is focused further south so the capital should only reach a high of 32C.

FEELING THE HEAT

French meteorologist Steven Tual said the period of intense was likely to last until July.

Officials in Paris have pledged to open "cool rooms" inside public buildings, set up temporary water fountains, and to leave the city's park and gardens unlocked to be accessible at night.

Public spaces such as town halls and government offices will open up air conditioned rooms to people who need them.

There will be 50 air conditioned spaces open every day from 2pm to 6pm, and elderly or infirm people can request to be driven to their nearest cool room.

There will also be cool spaces in public areas, with Gare de Lyon, Beaugrenelle and Opéra piloting "islands of freshness" which involve benches in shady spots and misters spraying cool water vapour into the air.

City workers will also distribute water to the homeless and install fans in schools and nurseries.

French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer decided it was too hot to for pupils to study at school and ordered national exams to be postponed from Thursday and Friday to next week.

France is wary of a repeat of the intense heatwave of summer 2003, when nearly 15,000 died over a two-week period, most of them elderly.

High pressure is coming from the Atlantic to cover the region, drawing up hot air from northern Africa and Spain, raising temperatures.

In Spain, weather agency Aemet is predicting highs of at least 35C in large parts of the country, and above 40C in the centre, plus 42C in the valleys of Ebro, Tajo, Guadiana and Guadalquivir.

Brutal 41C heatwave to blast British holiday hotspots in Europe thanks to African plume

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Holidaymakers in Mallorca or the Canary Islands can also expect temperatures of 35C.

Germany is also predicting temperatures in the mid-30s in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and other cities – with a forecast 38C for the capital by Thursday.

And closer to home, the heat is building in the UK as the last of the storms pass, ready for temperatures to hit 30C.

A woman sunbathes in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24
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 A woman sunbathes in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24Credit: AFP or licensors
A man cools off at a water fountain in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24
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A man cools off at a water fountain in the French eastern city of Lyon on June 24Credit: AFP or licensors
People sunbathe near the Trocadero fountains and the Eiffel tower in Paris as a heatwave is expected in much of the country
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People sunbathe near the Trocadero fountains and the Eiffel tower in Paris as a heatwave is expected in much of the countryCredit: Reuters
Tourists refresh at a fountain in front of the Pantheon monument during an unusually early summer heatwave on June 24 in Rome, Italy
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Tourists refresh at a fountain in front of the Pantheon monument during an unusually early summer heatwave on June 24 in Rome, ItalyCredit: AFP or licensors
A man rides his bicycle under the water jet of a sprinkler system in Berlin, Germany, today
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A man rides his bicycle under the water jet of a sprinkler system in Berlin, Germany, todayCredit: EPA
A man walks by as tourists take selfies on the French Riviera city of Nice
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A man walks by as tourists take selfies on the French Riviera city of NiceCredit: AFP or licensors
A woman uses a fan to keep cool as she walks along a street in the French eastern city of Lyon
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A woman uses a fan to keep cool as she walks along a street in the French eastern city of LyonCredit: AFP or licensors
A man practices paddle board as children play in the water of the Lac de Neuchatel to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
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A man practices paddle board as children play in the water of the Lac de Neuchatel to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Yverdon-les-Bains, SwitzerlandCredit: AP:Associated Press
Children play in the water of the Lac de Neuchatel to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
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Children play in the water of the Lac de Neuchatel to cool off during the sunny and warm weather, in Yverdon-les-Bains, SwitzerlandCredit: AP:Associated Press
People cool off in a public fountain as temperatures reached 30C, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday
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People cool off in a public fountain as temperatures reached 30C, in Moscow, Russia, SaturdayCredit: AP:Associated Press
Smoke rises from a forest fire near Lieberoser Heide in eastern Germany today
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Smoke rises from a forest fire near Lieberoser Heide in eastern Germany todayCredit: Reuters

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