European Heatwave Brings Searing Temperatures

By Staff, Agencies

Temperatures in the Mediterranean could set a European record this week as a heatwave engulfs southern and eastern Europe.

An area of high pressure – named Cerberus after the underworld monster from Dante’s Inferno – will see much of Italy hit 40C on Wednesday, with Sicily and Sardinia forecast to be as high as 47-48C.

The highest temperature in European history was recorded in Syracuse, Sicily, on 11 August 2021, with a high of 48.8C.

President of the Italian Meteorological Society, Professor Luca Mercalli, said: “We know that there will be temperatures above 40C or 45C.”

“We could get close to the record. Either way, the levels will be very high.”

People are being urged to stay hydrated, avoid caffeine and alcohol and look out for signs of heatstroke after a British tourist collapsed and fainted in front of the Colosseum in Rome as temperatures there reached over 36C on Tuesday.

The exceptional heat is forecast to last across the Mediterranean for around two weeks.

Italy is expected to be the worst-hit, Italian meteorologist Stefano Rossi told La Stampa that humidity levels across the peninsula will mean temperatures will not drop below 22C at night-time.

The heatwave is also hitting France, Germany, Spain and Poland; temperatures are expected to hit 44C in some parts of Spain later this week.

The extreme temperatures in Europe come after record-shattering global temperatures as the world sees its hottest days on record in the first week of July.

Last summer's heatwaves may have contributed to over 61,000 deaths in Europe, according to a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.