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Heat, Drought Back Haunting Europe On First Day Of Summer
Paris (AFP) Jun 21, 2005 With tens of thousands of deaths in a sizzling summer of 2003 still fresh on people's minds, Europe suffered in a new heat wave Tuesday, the first day of summer, while farmers warned of a historic drought. In Paris, the health ministry ordered authorities in three counties to activate their heat wave plans after they were informed that "the current wave could present a health risk for the population as of June 21." Record temperatures for mid-June have been registered in northern France, with the thermometer registering 35.7 degrees Celsius (97 F) on the outskirts of Paris Monday. The heat has already killed a 41-year-old marathon runner who died in hospital after collapsing during the 24th kilometer (15th mile) of a race at the picturesque Mont Saint Michel in Normandy on Sunday. Also worried were farmers in Portugal, where rising temperatures are likely to worsen an already stinging drought - the worse the country has seen in 60 years. According to the national water institute, as of mid-June 50 percent of mainland Portugal is suffering from extreme drought, and another 30 percent is witnessing a "severe" drought. The aridity has already caused serious damage to the country's agriculture, with an expected 70 percent drop in cereal production and a 30 to 92 percent fall in fodder and pasture that has pushed up meat prices. In neighboring Spain, the environment ministry warned that water reserves were barely half full. The south is particularly hard hit, with rivers flowing at barely 15 percent of their capacity, the ministry said. Since May, temperatures have often surged above 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), and the national weather institute predicted that "temperatures will be 1 to 2 degrees higher than usual from July to September." A Spanish government emergency plan - including a loan of 750 million euros (900 million dollars) to compensate farmers from the effects of the drought - came into effect Tuesday. Farmers and breeders associations say they have so far suffered a loss of 1.5 billion euros (1.8 billion dollars). Gardeners were banned from watering their plants in Spain, but also in Belgium where the temperatures rose over 30 degrees Celsuis (86 F) on Monday in the north of the country. Water is only likely to last until mid-July, farmers in the northern Italian Po Valley warned, while Water UK said Britain had lived through its fourth driest November-to-May period since 1914. While many Europeans were complaining of the stifling heat, Swedes basked in the first warm rays of sunshine on Tuesday. Many flocked into parks and outdoor restaurants to enjoy the sun late into the evening, since the sun does not set in June in parts of northern Sweden. The official start of summer, June 21, is the summer solstice, when the sun is farthest north. In 2003, some 15,000 people died in France alone in a widespread health emergency sparked by two weeks of stifling temperatures. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Weather News at TerraDaily.com
Flood Alarm As Ice Blocks China's Yellow River
Beijing (AFP) Dec 10, 2005A cold front has caused a 210-kilometer (130-mile) stretch of China's Yellow River to become clogged with ice, forcing authorities to sound a flood alert, state media said Saturday. |
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