Washington's Potomac River Hits Record High Temperaturehttps://phys.org/news/2019-07-washington-potomac-river-high-temperature.htmlThe Potomac River, which flows through the US capital Washington, hit a record high temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius) over the weekend—as warm as bathwater—following a major heat wave.The previous highs came in the summers of 2011 and 2012, though record keeping began only in 2007.
On Sunday, the temperature exceeded previous records by half a degree Fahrenheit near the Little Falls rapids, upstream from the US capital, peaking at 93.7 degrees Fahrenheit at four feet (1.2 meters) from the shore, halfway between the surface and the bottom, according to the US Geological Survey.
Fish are not happy
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Trains Slowed Down as Temperature Records Tumble in Europehttps://phys.org/news/2019-07-temperature-europe.htmlThe operator of the British rail network, Network Rail, said it was slowing down trains in response to the extreme weather, which comes only weeks after another record-breaking heatwave in Europe in June.
"Extreme heat can cause overhead wires to sag and become damaged by fast trains. We slow down services to keep passengers safe when this happens," the company said on Twitter.
Water restrictions are in place in 73 out of 96 departments in mainland France, with the worst affected areas in the Loire area of central France, as well as the south west and the south east.
The second heatwave in two months has amplified concerns in Europe that human activity is heating the planet at a dangerous rate.
The June 26-28 heatwave in France was four degrees Celsius (7.2 Fahrenheit) hotter than an equally rare June heatwave would have been in 1900, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team said this month.
One study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said the deadly, weeks-long heatwave across northern Europe in 2018 would have been statistically impossible without climate change.