Olympic athletes could face a tough opponent: Brutal Paris heat

A quiet killer hit the cobblestone streets of Paris in the summer of 2003.

A quiet killer hit the cobblestone streets of Paris in the summer of 2003.

Beginning Aug. 4, a massive heat wave settled over France, sending temperatures soaring more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal for nine straight days. When it was over, France had recorded about 15,000 more deaths than would have been expected in that period — including many among the elderly and in Paris. No one checked on them until it was too late. 

For heat researchers like Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor of global health, the event marked a new understanding of just how dangerous heat waves can be in a world warmed by climate change.

“It was so large, and so many people died. That’s when attention turned,” Ebi said. 

On Friday, July 26, all eyes will be on the Olympic torch as it ignites — and also on the weather forecast. Paris will host the Summer Olympic Games 21 years after the deadly heat wave during the same days when catastrophe struck in 2003. Continued global warming has only increased the odds of a heat wave at the Games, where the athletes village won’t have air conditioning. Some Olympic teams have expressed concern about the situation.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/paris-olympics-2024-heat-athletes-rcna136862

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