ROME– Italy’s health ministry put 12 cities under the worst heat warning on Tuesday as a wave of heat from Africa scorched southern Europe and the Balkans and sent temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the worst yet to come.
Croatia reported the highest temperature on the Adriatic Sea, with thermometers reaching nearly 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern walled city of Dubrovnik, the country’s most popular tourist spot. In Serbia, the state electricity company reported record consumption Tuesday due to the use of air conditioners.
Municipal authorities in several cities in Europe and the southern Balkans are taking measures to protect the elderly especially as civil protection crews call in water-dropping planes such as Canadairs to extinguish wildfires raging in southern Italy and North Macedonia.
“It’s very hot,” said Carmen Díaz, a tourist from Madrid who was trying to stay cool with fans during lunch in Rome.
In Greece, municipalities provide air-conditioned spaces to the public. Certain forms of outdoor work are prohibited, such as manual labor, delivery and construction, during the hottest period when temperatures reach 40 C.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42 C on Wednesday and Thursday in some parts of the country. Spain’s national weather service said thermometers could reach 44 C in the southern Guadalquivir river basin within days.
To beat the heat, the Rome zoo is planning to offer ice lollies to the animals this week when temperatures are expected to reach 38 C.
For those attending Coldplay’s concert in the Eternal City this week, there will be no icy treats.
“It felt like we were in an oven with a hairdryer pointed at us,” said Patrizia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome from Varese for the band’s final performance Tuesday night.
Mattia Rossi’s fellow concertgoers are more philosophical, noting that the strange storm that hit Italy earlier this summer is proof that climate change is wreaking havoc on the southern Mediterranean weather system.
“These are all symptoms of a suffering planet in my opinion,” Rossi said.
In Albania, where temperatures are expected to reach 42 C, a 72-year-old man was found dead on a farm in Memaliaj, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the capital Tirana and the cause of death is believed to be heat, the local Panorama portal reported. There was no immediate confirmation from health authorities.
In Tirana itself, the streets and cafes seemed almost empty, only a few people went out and used umbrellas to shade themselves. High temperatures and winds have fueled wildfires from south to north in recent weeks.
Even with a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, the municipality of Istanbul issued a heat warning on Tuesday advising residents – especially the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with health problems – to stay away from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The advisory said temperatures in Istanbul would remain between 3 and 6 degrees above seasonal norms until July 28 and advised residents to drink plenty of fluids and choose light or cotton clothing.
“It’s usually windy here, like a natural air conditioner, so we always come here to cool off,” said Sami Gunaydin, a 62-year-old retiree who was swimming in the Bosphorus on Tuesday. “May God help those who don’t have air conditioning.”
For the second time this month, North Macedonia is facing a heat wave with temperatures reaching 42 C. Some 200 wildfires have broken out in the country since the beginning of the month, with one firefighter injured so far. The government has declared a state of crisis for months.
For Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, it was the second straight week that temperatures hovered around 40 C, with the Bosnian city of Mostar registering the highest for the sixth day in a row. Meteorologists say the heatwave will peak on Tuesday and slowly ease over the weekend.
Neighboring Romania and Moldova have also been hit by intense heatwaves over the past week, with temperatures in both countries’ capitals, Bucharest and Chisinau, exceeding 40 C this week.
In Italy, the civil protection service reported that it received 18 calls for help Monday to put out wildfires in some southern regions.
The health ministry placed 12 cities – from Trieste in the north to Rome in the center – under red alert heat danger, the highest state of heat emergency. In the cities at risk, everyone – not just the elderly or small children – is advised to stay indoors during the hottest days and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise and heavy meals.
Palermo, Sicily is expected to join the list of red bulletin cities on Wednesday, the health ministry said.
Much of Greece is also sweltering in a heat wave that lasts until the end of the week, with temperatures in some areas forecast to reach 42 C. This heat wave is predicted to peak on Wednesday and Thursday, mainly affecting the central, western regions. and northern Greece, where temperatures can rise to 43 C.
The brutal heat wave that has hit southern Europe has so far spared Paris, which will host the Olympics later this month. The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. Tuesday.
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Elena Becatoros in Athens, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain contributed to this report.
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