Blisteringly high temperatures expected to continue across parts of southern Europe
Jul 17, 2023
Rome [Italy], July 17 : Blisteringly high temperatures are expected to continue across parts of southern Europe this week, CNN reported.
The continent is bracing for its second extreme heat wave, putting people’s health at risk and setting the stage for wildfires.
Last week’s “Cerberus” heat wave is making way for another, which Italian weather forecasters have named “Charon”, the ferryman in Greek mythology who carries souls to the underworld.
As per CNN, Italy, Spain and Greece have already faced unrelenting heat for days, but the European Space Agency has warned that the heat wave is only just beginning.
Temperatures in Europe are expected to come close to, or even breach, the continent’s record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 2021, according to the ESA.
Temperatures in many cities in Italy are expected to soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Italian authorities on Sunday issued an “extreme” health risk warning for 16 cities including Rome and Florence.
According to Italian weather news service Meteo.it, the peak of the heat will be between Monday and Wednesday, with temperatures expected to climb above 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. Temperatures will remain high at night meaning there will be little respite from the heat.
Italian authorities have advised people to drink plenty of water, eat lighter meals and avoid direct sunlight between 11 am and 6 pm.
Authorities in Greece, where temperatures have risen above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), were forced to close the Acropolis in Athens, from noon to 5 pm local time on Friday and again over the weekend.
In Spain, temperatures in the cities of Seville, Cordoba and Granada have reached 40 degrees Celsius. Even the normally cooler region of Navarra in the north of the country is experiencing up to 40 degrees Celsius, according to CNN.
