By Makini Brice, Sarah Young and Giselda Vagnoni
PARIS/LONDON/ROME June 24 (Reuters) - Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week.
Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 36.1 degrees Celsius (96.98 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of Western Europe.
Temperatures in Paris hit a June record of 40.9 C, a day after France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peaked at 44.3 C in the southwestern town of Pissos.
Italy's health ministry placed 16 cities — including Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin and Verona — on its highest heat alert, and warned the heatwave could intensify further, peaking between Sunday and Monday.
At least 48 people have died in France from drowning since the onset of the heatwave while trying to cool off, authorities said, and two young children were killed by heat in a car.
Spain reported two elderly people had died of heatstroke after days of temperatures exceeding 40 C, though conditions there began to ease on Wednesday following the hottest late-June days on record, according to national weather agency AEMET.
Scorching temperatures killed hundreds of thousands of birds at poultry farms in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire, agricultural groups said.
France's nuclear power plants, which supply most of the country's electricity, cut output by about 7% of total demand as high temperatures limited access to cooling water.
OMEGA BLOCK TRAPS EXTREME HEAT
The heatwave is being driven by a weather pattern known as an Omega block, pushing temperatures as much as 18 C above normal, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.
The phenomenon resembles the shape of the Greek letter Omega, with a bulbous middle trapping in heat over regions for extended periods, with cooler weather on its fringes. Heatwaves and storms are being intensified by climate change.
Britain's record reading followed only the second extreme heat warning ever issued. Hundreds of schools closed or shortened their day as officials warned that high temperatures could endanger even healthy people. The 36.1 C reported by the Met Office in Gosport in Hampshire edged above the previous June record of 35.6 C set in 1957 and matched in 1976.
Even London Climate Action Week was disrupted, with organisers cancelling an event on extreme heat because of the heat itself.
The city's rail networks were affected by the heat, including delays and speed restrictions on major London Underground lines and cancellations of some commuter services. Some trains in Wales were also cancelled due to extreme heat.
Weather agency Meteo-France has said the conditions are comparable to a heatwave in August 2003 that lasted 16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe.
Conditions in France were expected to remain stifling on Thursday, the forecaster said, extending a red alert weather warning to 72 districts across the country.
Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.
PARIS FASHION WEEK SWELTERS
The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre announced early closing times, and the Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace was scaled back, without the usual ceremony of soldiers in scarlet tunics and heavy bearskin hats.
The Uffizi Galleries in Florence, one of Italy's top tourist sites, halted ticket sales on Wednesday to fix an air conditioning malfunction.
In Paris, where the annual Fashion Week was under way, the audience sweated through the Louis Vuitton show as male models showed off creations by pop singer Pharrell Williams on Tuesday evening. Labels including Dior and Rick Owens changed their schedules to hold shows in the morning.
First-time visitors to the French capital were disappointed. "So many people who had travelled from around the world aren't getting the chance to see the sights that Paris has to offer because of this heatwave," said Tanya Thompson, a visitor from the United States.
On the city's streets, hundreds of undocumented migrants tried to find refuge from the heat, sleeping in nylon tents under an overpass as a municipal worker hosed down a sidewalk.
An extreme heat warning was in place across the Netherlands, where outdoor sports were cancelled, public transport was scaled down and schools shortened classes or closed as temperatures were expected to soar to 36 C.
In Switzerland, local authorities opened air-conditioned theatres for free daytime cinema screenings.
WORK HOURS IMPACTED
Construction firms across the continent adjusted working hours to limit exposure, and retailers struggled to keep up with demand for fans and portable air conditioners. Europe has no unified rules governing work in extreme heat, with national regulations varying.
A French agricultural cooperative said farmers had moved to night shifts to protect workers and reduce fire risk.
Still, at the Vatican, tourists waited patiently in the blazing sun to visit museums on Wednesday. Some held umbrellas or fans and many gathered for refills of water from fountains or cafes for other refreshments.
"We want a beer, a beer for the heat," said Father Israel from the Dominican Republic as he held up a large pint of lager in his hand.
(Additional reporting by William James, Emma Pinedo, Ingrid Melander, Tassilo Hummel, James Davey, Anthony Deutsch, Alvise Armellini, Olivia Le Poidevin and Cecile Mantovanni; writing by Michele Kambas;Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Peter Graff and Ros Russell)
