Heat wave affects southern Europe: In Italy, a high alert level applies to several cities, according to the regional weather service, with the maximum temperature measured in Rome at 41.8 degrees. Firefighters continue to battle fires in Greece.
The Mediterranean remains warm today. According to data from the meteorological service for the Lazio region, Italy’s capital Rome recorded a high of 41.8 degrees at noon. Civil Defense sent volunteers into city streets to distribute bottled water to tourists and locals at well-visited spots and locations. Many cool off in the numerous fountains. An app (“White Wow”) can be used to locate 50,000 drinking water points in the city.
The high pressure area “Caronte” also brought high temperatures to the rest of Italy. The Italian Ministry of Health announced a high heat alert level for 20 major cities and 23 cities on Wednesday. This means that even healthy people can experience negative physical effects there.
The southern Italian regions of Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria broke the 40 degree mark. The current high pressure area also affected the temperatures of the large Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Inland Sicily, 43 degrees were measured in certain areas and even 44 degrees in parts of southern Sardinia. In comparison, areas around the cities of Florence and Bologna were a bearable 37 to 38 degrees.
Red heat warning for parts of Spain
In Spain too, authorities issued the highest red alert for parts of the country in what is expected to be the worst heat wave so far this year. It is valid in Catalonia and Aragon and the Balearic Islands. Spain’s meteorological agency Amet expects temperatures of up to 44 degrees over the course of the day. Extreme temperatures have already occurred in the center and south of the country on Monday – with a peak of 44.9 degrees in Andalusian Andujar.
Due to the heat, the Interior Ministry has warned of a “very high to extreme” fire risk across the country, particularly in the Canary Island of La Palma. Firefighters have been battling the massive forest fire there since Saturday. According to La Palma authorities, almost 3500 hectares of land were burnt and around 4000 people had to temporarily leave their homes. In the meantime, however, the situation is calming down as local civil defense chief Manuel Miranda announced in the morning. However, due to poor air quality, authorities have called on residents in many places to limit their outdoor activities and wear protective masks.
Fighting a forest fire near Athens
In Greece, firefighters continue to battle several fires near Athens. A huge fire broke out very violently in the Dervenohoria forest, 50 kilometers north of the Greek capital. But fires also continued to burn along the coast south of Athens, where scores of residents had to leave their homes the night before – as well as near the health resort of Loutraki, near Corinth.
Several homes were damaged there and additional evacuations were ordered. Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglido said several roads were closed as firefighters battled the blaze. Fire is favored by heat and dryness. Meteorologists expect temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in parts of Greece on Thursday.
“All civil defense forces extinguished the fire throughout the night,” said Yannis Artobios, a fire department spokesman. “The first priority is the protection of human life.” But emergency services sought to protect critical public infrastructure and privately owned homes. The European Union activated its civil protection mechanism to help the Greek fire brigade, Artopios said. Four Canadair firefighting planes from France and Italy are to be sent to Greece as reinforcements.
After a relatively rainy and cool spring, the first major vegetation fire in Greece this year broke out on Monday. Civil protection had already warned over the weekend: after several days with temperatures above 40 degrees and a long dry spell, the risk of forest fires was very high.
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