Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius... Southern Europe is witnessing scorching temperatures amid many warnings

2024-07-17 2024-07-17T14:25:55Z

Arab Weather - Southern Europe is experiencing an intense heat wave with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius, prompting countries to issue heat warnings, ban outdoor work, and impose daytime curfews for pregnant women and children.

In several southern European and Balkan cities, municipal authorities have taken measures to care for the elderly, with civil protection crews receiving calls for water-dropping aircraft such as Canadairs to extinguish forest fires that have broken out in southern Italy and northern Macedonia.

"It's very hot," said Carmen Diaz, a tourist from Madrid who was trying to keep cool in Rome. "Fans help a little, but it's still too hot," she added.

In Greece, municipalities have made air-conditioned spaces available to the public, and some forms of outdoor work such as manual labor, delivery and construction have been banned during the hottest times of the day.

Temperatures are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and Thursday in several countries, and the Spanish National Meteorological Service reported that temperatures could reach 44 degrees Celsius in the southern Guadalquivir river basin.

Plans to beat the heat in Europe

To beat the heat, the Rome Zoo has made plans to provide a respite for the animals later this week when temperatures are expected to exceed 38 degrees Celsius.

said Patricia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome

“It's like we're in an oven with a hairdryer pointed at us.” While her colleague Mattia Rossi pointed out that the strange storms that struck Italy earlier this summer are evidence that climate change is wreaking havoc on weather systems in the southern Mediterranean.

Deaths and injuries due to extreme heat in Europe

In Albania, where temperatures were expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius, a 72-year-old man was found dead on his farm, the cause of death believed to be heat. In Tirana itself, streets and cafes appeared almost empty.

In Istanbul, where temperatures relatively dropped to 34 degrees Celsius, the municipality issued a heat warning on Tuesday advising residents - especially the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with health problems - to avoid going out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For the second time this month, North Macedonia is facing a heat wave with temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celsius. Since the beginning of the month, about 200 forest fires have broken out in the country, resulting in one firefighter being injured and the government declaring a state of crisis for a month.

In Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, this is the second week in which temperatures are approaching 40 degrees Celsius, with the Bosnian city of Mostar recording this high for the sixth day in a row. The heat wave is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday and slowly decline towards the end of the week.

Romania and Moldova have also been hit by a severe heatwave, with temperatures in Bucharest and Chisinau exceeding 40°C this week.

The Italian Ministry of Health placed 12 cities under a severe heat warning on Tuesday, with a wave of hot air coming from Africa sweeping southern Europe and the Balkans, raising temperatures to more than 40 degrees Celsius. Croatia recorded the highest temperatures ever in the Adriatic Sea, where a thermometer reached... The temperature reaches nearly 30 degrees Celsius in Dubrovnik.

In Serbia, the state electricity company announced record consumption on Tuesday due to the use of air conditioners.

In Italy, the Civil Protection Service reported that it received 18 distress calls on Monday to extinguish forest fires that broke out in several southern regions.

A brutal heat wave is scorching southern Europe, fueled by hot air sweeping in from Africa. The Italian health ministry issued the highest heat warning for 12 cities, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and forecast to climb even higher. pic.twitter.com/0AECgoYPzv

— Firstpost (@firstpost) July 17, 2024

Red heat alert in Europe

The Ministry of Health has placed 12 cities - from Trieste in the north to Rome in the centre - under a red heat alert, the highest heat emergency. In these cities, everyone - not just the elderly or young children - is urged to stay indoors during the hottest times of the day and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise and eating heavy foods.

Palermo on the island of Sicily is expected to join the list of red alert cities on Wednesday.

Much of Greece is also experiencing a heatwave that is set to last until the end of the week, with temperatures in some areas expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius. The heat wave is expected to reach its peak on Wednesday and Thursday, especially in the central, western and northern regions of Greece, where temperatures may rise to 43 degrees Celsius.

Paris, which is scheduled to host the Olympics later this month, has so far been unscathed by the brutal heatwave hitting southern Europe. Temperatures were relatively cool at 22C on Tuesday, although they are expected to rise later in the week, then drop again after the weekend.