Europeans seek shade as heatwave grips much of the continent
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A second heatwave is expected to hit Italy next week as Cerberus is swiftly followed by heatwave Cheron, named after the ferryman to the underworld in Greek mythology.
According to La Repubblica, the temperatures expected this weekend could climb around 12C higher (53.6F) in the following days, particularly for Tuscany and Lazio.
This weekend, the highest temperatures are set to peak at around 36C (96.8F) in most Italian cities, though Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia may reach up to 41C.
However, next week temperatures are predicted to climb as high as 48C in Sardinia.
It comes as Greece introduced emergency measures for workers, and zoo animals in Madrid were fed fruit popsicles, as a deadly heatwave grips large parts of Mediterranean Europe with temperatures forecast to break all-time records.
The Cerberus heatwave is set to get worse over the weekend with the mercury expected reach as high as 45C in parts of Greece and Spain.
There is also extreme heat in the US, and you can follow the blog for that here.
15 red alerts issued for Italy
Authorities in Italy have issued red alerts for 16 cities across the country amid a sweltering heatwave.
Bologna, Florence and Rome are among some of the cities affected, with residents there told to take extra care.
Temperatures could exceed 40C in parts of Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia, forecasters say.
ICYMI: Why is there no UK heatwave as Europe swelters during Cerberus?
Much of Europe is experiencing a heatwave - but the weather is colder and wetter in the UK.
As the UK gets prolonged showers – the Met Office predicts unsettled conditions to continue for the next few days – the Mediterranean region grapples with soaring heat that could touch a new European record as soon as this week.
Stuti Mishra takes a look at why the UK is not affected by Cerberus:
Greece shuts Acropolis to protect tourists from heat
Greece closed the ancient Acropolis yesterday during the hottest part of the day to protect tourists as southern Europe suffered in a fierce heatwave.
With temperatures peaking above 40C, authorities closed the Acropolis Hill, home to the Parthenon temple that is visited by millions of tourists every year, from noon to 5pm local time.
Huge crowds had earlier formed long queues in the heat to enter the site, many donning hats and fanning themselves, others drinking water and carrying umbrellas. The hill becomes particularly stifling due to its altitude and lack of shade.
One woman seated on the ground was attended to by paramedics after feeling faint, Reuters reported. Others were brought down from the Acropolis Hill in golf carts and transferred to wheelchairs.
The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, has warned that Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing extreme conditions.
Temperatures next week could break Europe’s current record 48.8C recorded in Sicily in August 2021.
Blistering heatwave continues
More blistering temperatures are forecast for parts of Europe on Saturday as the Cerberus heatwave intensifies.
Forecasters say it could get as warm as 47C in the southern islands of Sardinia and Sicily in Italy, with 40C expected in Rome and Florence.
Parts of Greece, Portugal and Spain are also expected to experience temperatures in the high 30s and early 40s.
People in Greece take to the beach to cool down on the coast of Varkiza near Athens
Greece ‘like Africa’ as Europeans melt in deadly heatwave forecast to smash record
Conditions in Greece have been compared to those in Africa as southern Europeans suffer through a heatwave forecast to only worsen in the coming days.
Europe’s highest ever recorded temperature – 48.8C (119.8F) – could be breached in Sicily and Sardinia next week and Spain is expected to reach 45C, experts say.
Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Croatia have all been hit, and officials in several countries have been preparing emergency measures, including mobile phone heat alerts.
“It’s like being in Africa,” said 24-year-old tourist Balint Jolan, from Hungary. “It’s not that much hotter than it is currently at home, but yes, it is difficult.”
Officials in Athens shut the ancient Acropolis for several hours on Friday to protect visitors as the Greek meteorological service forecast temperatures peaking at 41C in the city.
Floods, fires and deadly heatwaves are the alarm bells of a planet on the brink
The world is hotter than it’s been in thousands of years, and it’s as if every alarm bell on Earth were ringing.
The warnings are echoing through the drenched mountains of Vermont, where two months of rain just fell in only two days. India and Japan were deluged by extreme flooding.
They’re shrilling from the scorching streets of Texas, Florida, Spain and China, with a severe heatwave also building in Phoenix and the Southwest in coming days.
They’re burbling up from the oceans, where temperatures have surged to levels considered “beyond extreme.”
Scientists say there is no question that this cacophony was caused by climate change – or that it will continue to intensify as the planet warms. Research shows that human greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from burning fossil fuels, have raised Earth’s temperature by about 1.2 degrees celsius (2.2 fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Death Valley could hit highest temperature ever
Over in the US, a third of the population was under heat alerts on Friday as the merciless conditions continued to topple hundreds of temperature records from coast to coast.
In the west, Death Valley National Park could set a new world record for the hottest temperature ever reliably recorded while in Arizona, emergency responders were treating people for second-degree contact burns caused by sidewalks which have surpassed 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71C).
The intensifying heatwave across the southern US was mirrored around the world as millions of people in Europe, Asia and Africa contended with extreme, record-breaking temperatures driven by the climate crisis.
Death Valley Tourism
How to sleep during hot weather, according to experts
The warmth of summer is usually welcomed with open arms, but we often forget how difficult it can be to get a decent night’s sleep when nighttime temperatures rise.
Nights can become even more uncomfortable during a heatwave, when temperatures meet or exceed the heatwave temperature threshold for at least three consecutive days, and are common in the summer.
Many may find these nights difficult, especially without a fan or air-conditioning.
According to Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep expert at Silentnight, the optimal bedroom temperature for sleeping is between 16C (60F) and 21C (69.8F), and your brain needs to be slightly cooler than the rest of your body.
Should I keep my windows closed or open during a heatwave?
With the summer heat upon us, it means that our homes may become uncomfortably hot, especially at night.
As it gets hotter, it can be tempting to open your windows to let in some fresh air when the weather gets too warm – but should you keep them shut instead?
According to NHS advice, curtains should be kept shut to keep sun-facing rooms as shaded as possible.
The health service advises drinking plenty of fluid and avoiding excess alcohol, keeping out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, and avoiding exercise during the hottest part of the day.
Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh, an expert in heat transfer in buildings at Nottingham Trent University, tells The Independent: “It is all about heat transfer. We need to reduce heat gain to inside the building in hot weather.”
Heatwave across Spain and Italy leaves Brits abroad sweltering:
As temperatures top 40C, Britons are doing whatever they can to stay cool. Graham Keeley reports from Madrid on the extreme heat across Europe:
I came here for the sun after rainy Britain but this is a bit much for me,” says Peter Stevens, 73, a retired project manager from London who is staying near Barcelona.
Spain is sweltering in an intense heatwave affecting much of southern and eastern Europe, including tourist hotspots such as Italy and Greece, with the thermometer reaching beyond 40C (104F). Just like Peter, thousands of holidaymakers escaping this weekend’s wet and windy weather in Britain find themselves roasting under a high-pressure, high-temperature front currently sitting across the continent.
The heatwave, named Cerberus after the three-headed monster that features in Dante’s Inferno, has prompted warnings for both tourists and locals to take care, particularly when temperatures reach their peak in the middle of the day. “I am getting headaches after a few hours on the beach and must go home to the hotel,” Peter says.
Tourists protect themselves from the sun as they are visiting the Royal Palace in Madrid
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2023-07-15 04:00:00Z
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