Sat 15 July 2023:
Europe is currently experiencing a severe and devastating heat wave that might bring about record-breaking temperatures and raise severe concerns about the effects on people’s health, especially as the region prepares to receive a large inflow of tourists.
Italy on Friday put over 15 cities on red alert due to expected heat waves this weekend.
High temperatures will be felt over the weekend in several Italian cities, said the nation’s Health Ministry, the ANSA agency reported.
The ministry put 15 cities on red alert for Saturday and 16 for Sunday, including Rome, Bologna, Florence, Catania, Campobasso, Bari, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Viterbo, Cagliari, Civitavecchia, Messina, and Palermo.
The heat waves threaten not only the elderly, medically vulnerable people, and children but the entire population, the warning said.
Temperatures are expected to soar 12C (53.6F) higher than average.
The Saturday forecast for Rome is 37C (98.6F), and 43C (109.4F) on Sunday.
” Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with air temperatures expected to climb to 48C (118.4F) on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia-potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe,” the European Space Agency said on Thursday, adding that the soaring mercury on the continent follow “record-shattering global temperatures.”
Meanwhile, parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Italy are all facing intense heat, with temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
One of the deadliest natural disasters is heat; during last year’s searing summer heat wave in Europe, more than 61,000 people died. Given that it is occurring during one of the busiest times of the summer travel season in Europe, the current heat wave—dubbed “Cerberus” by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster from Dante’s “Inferno”—has sparked new concerns for people’s health.
Europe is not the only place facing extreme temperatures. A dangerous weekslong heat wave in parts of the Western United States is set to worsen this weekend. More than 90 million people are under heat alerts. The hottest place on Earth, California’s Death Valley, could reach 54.4 degrees Celsius (130 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, forecasters at the National Weather Service told CNN.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg weighed in on the high temperatures in a post on Twitter, saying global heat records should serve as an urgent wake-up call.
“Last week we experienced the hottest days ever recorded, many days in a row. We are also experiencing record high sea level temperatures and record low ice levels. This is an emergency,” she said.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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