- Italian cities have been placed under ‘red alert’ with people told to stay inside
Southern Europe is baking in soaring temperatures, with Italy bracing for a record-breaking heatwave and wildfires being fanned by the ‘hellish’ conditions and water shortages across parts of the Balkans.
Intense heat across Italy has already resulted in at least four deaths, with elderly people collapsing and dying with suspected heatstroke in Bari, Puglia and Rome, amid severe humidity.
Cities including the Italian capital and popular tourist destinations such as Florence and Naples are expected to be impacted, with large swathes of the country placed under red alert.
It is as the result of an anticyclone – a powerful air bubble that has originated from the Sahara desert and that is ‘pumping’ hot air onto the Mediterranean, which forecasters say will see muggy conditions.
Greece is also in the firing line, with the Met Office there warning people that the mercury could rise to 42C in some parts and that they should be ‘prepared’ for the extreme weather as ‘very high temperatures’.
Evacuations are underway in Lygia in the Ionian islands amid wildfires there, with pictures showing helicopters picking up water from the sea as firefighters work to extinguish them.
Meanwhile on the island of Koundouros, dramatic video shows a villa on fire as huge plumes of smoke and flames rise from a hilltop.
Popular tourist destinations of Chios and Kos were also hit in recent weeks after a prolonged drought and dry weather caused infernos with strong winds fanning the flames.
At the beginning of July, the Mornos reservoir around 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Athens, the main water source for the Attica region surrounding the capital, levels were down 30 percent from the same period last year.
And overall reserves for Attica were down by nearly a quarter over the same period, according to the water utility company EYDAP.
Home to more than a third of Greece’s population, the region of 3.7 million inhabitants was recently placed on ‘yellow alert’ by EYDAP, which urged people to reduce consumption to keep reserves at a sustainable level.
At the same time, the country’s earliest-ever heatwave resulted in the hottest June since 1960, with temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in many parts of the country.
The heat has also sparked an increase in wildfires, with more than a thousand recorded last month, more than double the number in the same month last year, authorities say.
As Brits head out on holiday to destinations like Kefalonia and Corfu, the Hellenic National Agency has published an amber weather warning for this week.
It explained: ‘The southwest current that prevails in the lower levels of the atmosphere on the coasts of Africa and the Central Mediterranean will transport warm air masses to our region and cause very high temperatures in our country, which will be maintained at least until Friday.
‘The highest temperatures will occur in the interior of mainland Greece (mainly in the west and north) and in the islands of the eastern Aegean.
‘In the coastal areas of the mainland the maximum temperature value will be 2 to 4 degrees lower due to the sea breeze.’
The warm air masses are also seriously affecting Italy, where temperatures are expected to increase throughout the week.
Antonio Sanò, founder of ilmeteo.it, told Italian daily paper La Stampa that this ‘will be the hottest summer.’
He explained: ‘The African anticyclone will become increasingly powerful and will further sharpen its heat force… the temperatures will persistently continue to rise, remaining, during the day, always above 34 -37 degrees in many cities with peaks of even 42-43C in the internal areas of Sicily.’
He warned people to expect the hottest days on Thursday and Friday.
Pictures over recent days have shown tourists desperately trying to cool off in Rome.
Highs of around 38C are expected in the Italian capital today and throughout the week, with an excessive heat warning in force.
While the south and centre of Italy faces extreme heat, many areas of northern Italy have been experiencing another facet of the climate crisis, being hit over recent weeks with torrential rain and storms.
Huge floods and landslides, have caused considerable damage and disruption, and have resulted in deaths.
Meanwhile, wildfires have gripped parts of southern Europe, including seven which swept across North Macedonia on Sunday, officials said, prompting the government to declare a crisis situation.
During an overnight emergency government session on Saturday, lawmakers declared a crisis situation – falling short of calling for a state of emergency – ‘due to increased occurrence of wildfires’.
The fires spread mainly in the central and eastern parts of the country, according to the state’s Crisis Management Center, amid a gruelling heatwave.
More than 100 hectares of forest had been scorched as of Saturday despite the efforts of firefighters.
‘The period of existence of the state of crises on the territory of Republic of North Macedonia is for 30 days,’ the government said in a statement.
A state of crises is proclaimed when the public and property face serious risks or dangers, which demands an injection of significant government resources.
The government also approved the engagement of the police and army in the fight against the wildfires as well as preparing medical staff.
Around 100 soldiers and two army helicopters on Sunday morning were involved in extinguishing a fire near the southern town of Negotino, the ministry of defence said.
Since last week, the region has been hit by a heatwave forecasted to extend until the end of the next week.
On Friday, the North Macedonia issued an extreme weather alert with temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
Similar warnings were issued in neighboring Croatia and further east and south. Croatia’s main tourism resort, the southern Adriatic Sea town of Dubrovnik, recorded 28 C (82.4 F) at dawn, signaling there won’t be relief when the sun goes down.
Locals in Montenegro have reported having to stay indoors to escape the ‘hell outside’.
During a heatwave last month, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia and Albania faced major power outages amid the overload and a collapse of a regional distribution line.
Earlier this month, a powerful storm swept the region after days of heat.
It killed two people and damaged houses while pulling trees from the ground and flooding streets.