The European Heat Wave Is Melting Cars
It’s so hot in Europe that it’s scary. It’s so hot that people in Cyprus are using oven mitts so that they can touch their steering wheels; it’s so hot people have to put their phones in the fridge to keep them working; and it’s so hot that the plastic parts of cars are melting right off:
That Renault Megane’s lights, bumper, window fittings, and side-view windows melted on a day when temperatures in northern Italy hit 37 degrees Celsius (that’s 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
“I guess the moral of the story is don’t trust French cars,” joked the videographer, a British tourist named John Westbrook.
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Pfft. I put up with that for months. Step up your game, Renault.
However, for those of you saying, “Well, 98.6 degrees, that’s just summer weather,” that isn’t the worst of it. Temperatures around the Mediterranean are reaching a blazing and killer 63 degrees Celsius (that is 145.4 degrees Fahrenheit), reported in Nicosia, Cyprus.
We mentioned that drivers in Cyprus were using oven mitts to grip the wheel, and that isn’t because the people of Cyprus have tender palms—it’s because their steering wheels are melting.
The extreme heat is causing governments to tell tourists and residents to never leave children or pets in the car. Experts worry that the current extreme temperatures will be as bad as the 2003 heat wave that killed about 20,000 people. The current heat has already resulted in the death of over 100 people.
So be advised: if you are taking a trip to Europe soon (especially Cyprus), take plenty of water whenever you go outside and be aware of the temperature.
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