In France in the summer of 2003, so many people died that the mortuaries over-flowed with bodies and refrigerated lorries had to be used instead.
The cause was the country’s worst-ever heatwave, which saw temperatures hit a record 44.1°C in Conqueyrac, near Montpellier in southern France. Some 15,000 deaths were attributed to the searing heat, which also killed another 9,000 across Europe.
However, according to a new study, the heatwaves of the future in the world’s most popular tourist destination could be much, much worse.
Trying to predict what would happen if there was a similar hot spell towards the end of this century – after decades of global warming – the researchers concluded that temperatures could “easily exceed 50°C”.
Read the full article at The Independent.
