Thirty-One Point Seven

The highest temperature ever recorded in Luxembourg on 23 June is 31.7 degrees Celsius. That was in 2016. National Day also exceeded 30 degrees in 2005 and 1967. Tomorrow could break the record.[1]

A red heat alert takes effect from Monday afternoon. Luxembourg is facing what meteorologists describe as an unusually long and intense spell of hot weather, and it falls directly on the country's biggest national celebration. The military parade, the Te Deum, the torchlight procession, the fireworks from the Adolphe Bridge, the concerts at the Glacis, all of it is happening during what may be the hottest National Day on record.[2]

The army has adapted. Uniforms have been modified for the heat. Extra water and salt supplies will be available on site. Additional vehicles are standing by to support the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps. Four ambulances, four mobile medical teams, and a nurse will be stationed along the parade route. A fine water mist will be sprayed opposite the official grandstand to give spectators some relief.[3]

The CGDIS decided on Sunday morning that animals will not take part in the parade. This is not a cosmetic change. The parade traditionally includes mounted units and service dogs. Removing them from a National Day parade is a concession to weather that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.[4]

Organisers discussed postponing the parade or moving it earlier in the day. That option was not retained, though minor adjustments to the programme and uniforms will be made. The parade is scheduled to begin at noon on Avenue de la Liberte, as planned.[5]

The rehearsal on Sunday morning told a different story from the event itself. What will take about an hour on the day took nearly two during practice, as organisers repeated sequences and adjusted timing. Luxembourg Army aircraft had already rehearsed their flypast on Thursday. By Sunday, the full sequence was finalised. The only remaining variable is the temperature.[6]

First Lieutenant Tom Brecht of the Luxembourg Army described the preparations as thorough but proportionate. The army is responsible for the welfare of participating personnel. CGDIS crews are there for the public. The separation is deliberate. In a heatwave, the people who stand in uniform for an hour are not the same risk category as the people who stand in the sun for three hours to watch them.[7]

Schools have already begun cancelling afternoon classes. The Coque pool and relaxation centre is closed for the summer. Lake Haute-Sure beaches reached maximum capacity over the weekend. The heat is not coming. It is here.[8]

National Day in Luxembourg is normally a celebration of continuity. The same ceremony, the same cathedral, the same bridge, the same avenue. What is different this year is not the programme. It is the temperature. Thirty-one point seven degrees is the record. The forecast says it could be broken. If it is, the parade will go on, but the animals will not, the uniforms will be lighter, and there will be mist spray where there used to be nothing but flag-waving crowds in the sun.