The anticyclone pushing very hot air from Africa to Europe raised thermometers in the southern Mediterranean and sparked fears in the Old Continent regarding fires and the impact on people’s health.
In Italy, maximum temperatures are expected to be around 47 degrees Celsius (ºC) in Sicily and Sardinia, breaking records, as in Rome where 42ºC is expected.
Spain has already overcome two heat waves since the summer solstice began in June, but this week is expected to be between 40 and 44ºC and tropical nights, where temperatures should not drop from 25ºC.
According to the Spanish State Meteorological Agency, this anticyclone displaces “very hot air from North Africa,” which promotes atmospheric stability and accumulates heat on the surface.
More than half of Spain is under alarm. In Andalusia, the provinces of Córdoba and Jaén are on alert due to the extreme risk of predicted maximum temperatures of up to 44ºC.
In France, the orange alert has been activated in the south, where temperatures can reach 40ºC.
At least 40ºC is expected in the Balkans, raising fears of fires and the health of people in Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia and Slovenia.
Dozens of wildfires are raging in Turkey, which started over the weekend, with temperatures hovering around 38 degrees and expected to rise to 40 this Monday.
In Romania, where it is 40ºC in the shade today, storms are expected, with torrential rain and strong winds, and in Bulgaria, forecasts point to more than 40ºC in the towns of Russe, on the Danube, and Sandanski, on the border with Greece.
In Austria, the thermometers reached 35°C last weekend. The Red Cross even opened up rooms to house people so that the body could recover from the pressure the heat caused.
With an expected temperature of 39ºC in the south, Hungary has declared an alarm red in the counties of Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád-Csanád and Békés.
Source: DN
