London: 95.7F Paris: 100F Florence: 104F Switzerland: 104.5F

[hatrack]

Wildfires raging as Europe gripped by heat wve
Frances D'Emilion
Associated Press

(08-06) 07:54 PDT ROME (AP)

"Record-breaking temperatures stoked wildfires across Italy and elsewhere in Europe Wednesday, in a heat wave that has plagued the continent for more than a week and caused the deaths of at least 28 people.

EDIT

In southern Spain, officials said two people died Tuesday of heat stroke, raising to six the number of deaths in a single day and 14 overall. Most of the deaths were elderly people. More hot weather was forecast Wednesday in Spain's Andalusia and Extremadura regions, with maximums of 106 degrees.

EDIT

Records were set in a number of French cities on Tuesday, notably in central Tours and the northwestern city of Rennes, where it was 102 degrees. Paris temperatures hit 100, setting a new record for August, according to France's national weather service.

The mercury also hit its highest level in Switzerland, according to the private weather agency Meteomedia, which logged a temperature of 104.5 degrees in the northern Swiss village of Moehlin on Tuesday."

EDIT

San Francisco Chronicle

[GOPFighter]

1. Amazing

I was in Hamburg and Paris on business in early June. Was surprised to find that only about half of the hotels had air conditioning, in Hamburg the four-star hotel where I stayed (I wasn't paying) wasn't air conditioned. In Paris few hotels and businesses were A/C. Glad I'm not there now!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. They save energy by not having AC

it usually doesn't get hot enought to require it, but the bottom line is they save energy that way. In Berlin I believe the law is there can only be a difference of (so many degrees 10C?) between indoor and outdoor temps.

[donsu]

2. and the Alps are melting

it was recently reported that large landslides have occured and are occurring because the rock is held together by ice and now that it is melting the Alps are falling down.