Southern Europe is experiencing a period of heat this Wednesday, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C, an unusual record for this time of year.
According to experts, extreme weather events have recently increased due to climate change, which is responsible for heat waves and increasingly frequent, longer and more intense periods of drought.
Greece: deadly fires
Athens woke up this Wednesday with thick, dark smoke. For the fifth day in a row, firefighters across Greece battle forest fires that have claimed nearly 20 lives.
At least 18 people identified as migrants were found dead near the Turkish border.
The heat, dryness and wind favored this new wave of fires, which have already destroyed more than 40,000 hectares as of Monday, according to the National Observatory of Athens. Weather conditions are not expected to improve until Friday.
Spain: fourth summer heat wave
In Spain, the country is expected to reach the peak of its fourth heat wave this summer with temperatures above 40ºC, especially inland.
On Tuesday, the thermometer in Zaragoza (northeast) reached 43°C as a fire devastated the island of Tenerife, in the Canary archipelago, where 15,000 hectares have already burned and thousands have been displaced.
Nevertheless, the emergency services see “light at the end of the tunnel”, thanks to lower night temperatures and less strong gusts of wind.
France: record heat in late summer
In France, meteorological services announced that a new heat record for the end of summer was broken this Tuesday: 27.1ºC. This was the warmest day since August 15.
This Wednesday, 19 departments in the south of the country are on red alert, and 37 on orange alert.
The peak of the heat wave is expected next Wednesday or Thursday before temperatures begin to drop on Friday.
Italy: hot air from the Sahara
Temperatures in Italy are also between 5°C and 7°C above the seasonal average, according to the Italian Center of Meteorology. The cause is the presence of an anticyclone between Western Europe and the Mediterranean, fed by very warm currents from the Sahara.
In the Italian Alps, at an altitude of 3000 meters, the thermometer reached 15°C, which put the survival of glaciers to the test.
And despite the fans and showers that some farmers have installed to cool the cows, the heat wave has reduced milk production by 15%, according to Italy’s main agricultural organisation.
This Thursday, temperatures are expected to reach 41°C in Florence (center) and 39°C in Milan (north). The country is expected to reach maximum temperatures on Friday.
Portugal: fire alarm
Portugal is on high alert for the risk of fire as half of the country is above 40ºC this Tuesday.
According to meteorological services, it reached a temperature of 45.6 ° C in the center of the country. On Thursday, the heat begins to subside.
Switzerland: record for the 0°C line
Switzerland was not spared by the heat wave. On Tuesday, Sion (southwest) reached 37°C and in Geneva, where the school year starts on Monday, it reached 36.7°C.
The 0°C line rose to an altitude of 5298 meters, a record “since measurements began in 1954,” according to the Swiss Meteorological Service. The previous record was set on July 25 last year, with an altitude of 5,184 meters.
Source: DN
