The heatwave recorded in the Mediterranean is behind the hottest week of the year in Italy and the southern and central-western areas of the country are on alert at least until the end of the week with historic temperatures exceeding the 45 degrees.
The city of Syracuse on the southern island of Sicily reached 48.8 degrees on Wednesday, according to the regional government’s Agrometeorological Information Service (SIAS), a figure that could set a new heat record in Europe and would exceed 48 degrees in Athens in 1977. On the island, today’s highs are expected in the central-southern part, with temperatures between 42 and 44 degrees and even 46 near the cities of Trapani and Agrigento .
Also on the other large Italian island, Sardinia, where peaks of 43.1 degrees were recorded yesterday, highs are expected today that do not drop below 35 and could reach 41.
Rome is boiling hot: the waterholes
The rest of the southern regions remain on alert: Calabria, the tip of the Italian “boot”, which touched 42 degrees, expects highs of 38 degrees today; as well as Campania, with its capital in Naples, and Lazio, the region of Rome, where it reached 40 degrees yesterday.
Although the Italian capital is full of fountains, Rome’s civil protection service has set up several bottled water supply points for the Romans and the thousands of tourists who, despite the heat, roam the city every day.
Tuscany, a region north of Rome, will also see maximum temperatures of 39 degrees today in cities like its capital, Florence.
The heat, more intense at the start of the afternoon, will begin to drop in the country from Friday, where it will drop by a few degrees. This situation has aggravated the numerous fires that are spreading throughout southern Italy, particularly in Sicily, which declared a state of emergency last week and had to evacuate inhabitants from certain areas, and in Calabria, where the army fought the fire.
In Spain 44° are expected in the south, and strong storms in the north
Spain is on alert for temperatures that could exceed 42 degrees this Thursday and 44 in the coming days, as in the regions of Aragon and Catalonia (northeast), which are at extreme risk, in addition to possible strong storms, especially in mountain areas.
In the province of Zaragoza (Aragon) it can reach 43 degrees today and 42 in that of Lérida (Catalonia). The 40 degrees will also be exceeded in the region of Andalusia (south) and La Rioja (north), and will be so around others.
Only the northern regions of the country will be spared by this heat wave, the most intense of the summer so far, which will reach its peak between Friday and Sunday, with suffocating nights at 25 degrees or more.
According to the forecasts of the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet), this episode will last until the first days of next week. Authorities have stepped up warnings to people to avoid being outdoors in the middle of the day and drinking water frequently, in addition to stepping up wildfire prevention measures as the risk has skyrocketed .
In this sense, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, asked this Wednesday for “maximum caution and full collaboration”. To prevent it, regional authorities have banned or restricted the use of agricultural machinery and access to forests and other natural areas, such as in Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha (center) and the Valencian Community (east).
jov (ef, rai24, wdr5)
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
Heat wave causes forest fires
With temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius, Greece and Turkey are currently experiencing an extraordinary heat wave. The result: wildfires of unimaginable magnitude. The winds make it even more difficult to fight the fire, like here north of Athens. There are indications that fires have been started.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
desperate defense
People try to save their possessions with the simplest means, like this man in Thrakomakedones, near Athens. The day before, two people died in fires in the north of the capital. Separately, police arrested a 43-year-old man on suspicion of arson in Athens’ Krioneri district, Greek news agency ANA reported.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
Too little invested?
A Sikorsky S-64 firefighting helicopter moves north of Athens. Critics say the government has invested too little in this type of firefighting aircraft in the past. Also in the Peloponnese, hundreds of hectares burned east of the ancient site of Olympia and in the regions of Mani and Messenia. More than 5,000 residents and tourists had to flee.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
picture of destruction
Early estimates say at least 60,000 hectares or 600 square kilometers have so far burned in the fires in Greece. This was reported by public broadcaster ERT on Saturday, citing the National Observatory in Athens.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
Until exhaustion
Many fires, especially on the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Evia, continue to rage uncontrollably. And also in the north of Athens there are several epidemics which still cannot be controlled. Many firefighters only get a short break, and only in the middle of the road.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
Volunteers join the rescue
They are also part of the heroes of the Greek tragedy: the volunteers who come to lend a hand. A volunteer can be seen here in Afidnes, near Athens, where temperatures of over 42 degrees Celsius were recently measured.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
A glimmer of hope on the horizon
Large fires in northern Athens were partially brought under control on Saturday. “For the first time we can say that the situation is a little better: there are currently only two fronts of fire,” Nikos Peppas, vice-governor of the Attica region, told Skai television. It is hoped that the fires will soon be brought under control.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
We have to stay together
The past few days have also brought with them devastating wildfires in neighboring Turkey. In particular, the southern and western coastal regions of the country have been badly affected. In the western province of Mugla, Turkey, the fires spread overnight. Here, near Bodrum, firefighters are delighted with a (partial) success in extinguishing the fires.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
Continuous operation on the ground and in the air
Also in Turkey, all available firefighting equipment is activated. 5,250 firefighters and more than 80 helicopters, planes and drones, as well as some 1,000 vehicles, are being used to put out the blaze, or so President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter.
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Forest fires in Greece: a “nightmarish summer”
The rain brings hope
A burning car near Antalya. Here in the south-west of the province, it rained heavily on Saturday, as did the city of Manavgat, the city most affected by the fires. According to the authorities, the fires have been brought under control in the meantime.
Author: Friedel Taube
