TTemperatures of around 40 degrees during the day and 30 degrees at night make life difficult for people in large parts of southern Europe. In the meantime, there has been some relaxation in some places – for example in southern Spain, where temperatures fell to below 40 degrees on Saturday.
Other countries such as Greece recorded local highs of up to 44 degrees. In western Turkey, 48 people were hospitalized for heat stroke. And Bulgarian and Italian meteorologists are already warning of the next wave next week.
Greece is at the peak of the current heat wave – 87 weather stations in the country recorded values over 40 degrees on Friday. The highest temperature of the year so far was 44.2 degrees in Thebes, around 50 kilometers northwest of Athens, as the National Observatory announced on Saturday.
Up to 48 degrees in Sicily
The meteorologists did not expect the heat to drop over the weekend either. In addition, the danger of forest fires increases due to the high drought, warned the civil defense and the fire brigade on Saturday.
In Italy, on the other hand, it remained bearable at around 35 degrees at the weekend. According to the meteorologists, the high pressure area “Caronte” could set record values from next week. In the big cities, over 40 degrees are forecast – in parts of Sardinia up to 47 degrees, in Sicily possibly even 48 degrees.
Emergency doctors and hospitals are already preparing for the heat wave. Because these high daytime temperatures are extremely strenuous and extremely dangerous, especially for the elderly, sick and small children.
The south of Spain has also been suffering from extreme heat for days. In parts of Andalusia, the maximum daily temperatures were repeatedly above 40 degrees. At night there is hardly any cooling, because even then it is still 30 degrees hot in places. In the early morning it is “coolest” at around 25 degrees.
A man reads under the shade of a tree on a beach in the Athens suburb of Glyfada.
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Image: dpa
500 people evacuated due to forest fire
Because of a forest fire on the Canary Island of La Palma, which belongs to Spain, at least 500 people have been brought to safety from their homes on Saturday. The fire broke out early in the morning near the town of Puntagorda in the northwest of the island. Because of the great drought and strong winds, the flames spread quickly, the mayor of the town, Vicente Rodríguez, reported on state TV broadcaster RTVE.
Since the wind direction is constantly changing, the fire has not yet been brought under control. At least 11 houses were burned down and an area of about 140 hectares was destroyed. The north of the island in particular is also popular with emigrants from Germany. The island government announced that houses further south in the municipality of Tijarafe would also have to be cleared.
The westernmost of the Canary Islands made headlines for months in 2021 after the Tajogaite volcano spat out massive amounts of lava that flowed towards the sea in red-hot streams. At least 7000 people had to flee from the lava back then, country houses, banana plantations and vineyards were buried under meters thick lava.
Next heat wave is coming
According to the National Weather Service Aemet, the next heat wave is already on the way: more than 40 degrees were expected in Córdoba again on Monday. Even on Mallorca – as the favorite holiday island of the Germans – people work up a sweat. For Tuesday, 40 degrees are also possible in the interior of the island.
In Turkey, the west coast is particularly affected by the heat. According to the Anadolu news agency, 48 people with heat stroke were treated in hospitals there on Saturday. The Kandilli Observatory in Istanbul advised people to drink plenty of water and avoid being outdoors. In the region around the city of Antalya, which is popular with tourists, the thermometer climbed up to 44 degrees.
A tourist has removed his slippers while seeking shade in the shade at a cafe in Corfu Town.
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Image: dpa
The heat is also having an impact on tourism – for example in Greece. On Saturday, a number of archaeological sites were again closed over the midday hours – including the Acropolis in Athens, which no longer allowed entry at 11.30 a.m. and only received guests again from 5.30 p.m.
Even in northern Bulgaria, the heat hit: After a brief relaxation on Monday, it should be extremely hot again there. Meteorologists expect values around 40 degrees. Even more worrying is the long-term forecast that the heat is unlikely to abate for the next two weeks.
Meteorologists from the affected countries repeatedly point to climate change as the cause of the heat waves. In the coming years, extreme heat waves with hot air from Africa are expected, for example in Turkey.
In Spain, too, heat waves have increased in recent years, according to the local weather service. Spokesman Ruben del Campo has long warned: “One thing is clear: (man-made) climate change is increasing extreme weather events.”
