- Heatwave Hits Southern Europe: Record-breaking temperatures expected in Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey
- Italy Braces for Extreme Heat: Red alert warnings issued as temperatures may reach 48.8C
- Concerns over Heat-related Fatalities: Previous study highlights high risk and potential increase in deaths
In the coming days, sections of southern Europe and northwestern Africa may experience record-breaking temperatures as a result of a heatwave.
In parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey, temperatures are anticipated to exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures in Italy could peak as high as 48.8C (119F). Ten cities, including Rome, Bologna, and Florence, have received a red alert warning.
On Tuesday, a man in his forties perished in northern Italy after collapsing.
Italian media reported that the 44-year-old laborer collapsed from the heat while painting zebra crossing lines in the town of Lodi, near Milan. He was transported to the hospital, where he died later.
Italian politician Nicola Fratoianni tweeted, “We’re facing an unbearable heat wave.”
Perhaps during the hottest hours, all necessary precautions are taken to prevent catastrophes like the one that occurred today in Lodi.
Avoid coffee and alcohol and drink at least two litres of water daily.
Reuters reported that one Rome tour group used sprinklers and thermal water to cool off.
“We’re trying to survive,” said Mariko Desso, a visitor from the southern city of Bari.
Several tourists have already collapsed in the country due to heatstroke, including a British male outside the Colosseum in Rome.
In the coming days, the Italian Meteorological Society named Cerberus heatwave – after the three-headed monster from Dante’s Inferno – is anticipated to bring extreme conditions.
For days, Spain has had daytime temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures rarely below 25 degrees. At 04:00 on Wednesday, the temperature in some regions of Mallorca reached 37 degrees Celsius.
The Andalusian regional government has initiated a telephone assistance service for heat-affected individuals, which has received 54,000 inquiries since its inception at the beginning of June. Mallorca’s emergency health hotline has seen multiple heatstroke cases daily since May.
Tuesday’s Copernicus Sentinel satellite image showed Extremadura’s land temperature at 60 degrees Celsius.
“Temperatures have indeed risen, but they are much, much higher than in previous years,” Alejandrina Coy, a resident of Madrid, told Reuters.
I can see that this has a significant impact on everyone.
Paz Llanes said, “The weather is becoming less linear, and there is less difference between the seasons.”
On Friday, the Met Office predicts temperatures in the low to mid-40s or higher in southern Europe.
Prague’s July average is 24C (75.2F), but Saturday’s high might be 36C (96.8F).
The next heatwave, dubbed Charon after the ferryman who delivered souls to the underworld, will drive temperatures back up to 43C in Rome and possibly 47C on the island of Sardinia, according to Italian weather forecasters.
The hottest European temperature was 48.8C (119.8F) near Syracuse, Sicily, in August 2021.
According to a new study, 61,672 individuals perished in Europe due to the heat last year. Italy recorded 18,010 heat-related deaths, Spain 11,324 and Germany 8,048.
It is feared that this summer’s heatwave will result in many additional fatalities.
According to ISGlobal’s research, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, and Bilbao are the Spanish cities with the highest risk of heat-related fatalities.
A heatwave is a period of unusually intense weather in which temperatures exceed seasonal norms.
Climate change has made it commonplace to experience record-breaking temperatures, according to experts, who note that periods of exceptionally hot weather are becoming more common.
According to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, this June was the warmest on record.
