Hittegolf Europa houdt aan infographic
Graphic shows European temperature forecast for remainder of July.
GN44586NL

KLIMAAT

Hittegolf in Europa houdt aan

By Duncan Mil

July 19, 2023 - Forecasts suggest temperatures across Europe will persist as an anticyclone will last at least another week. The high-pressure system is predicted to lift temperatures well above 40° Centigrade.

Italy has issued red alerts for extreme heat for 23 of Italy’s 27 biggest cities, with temperatures forecast to hit 37.1C in Rome today. Reports suggest temperatures could also peak at 42C on July 25 in Catania, Sicily.

In Greece, the impact of the wildfires is felt northwest of Athens, in the coastal towns of Kouvaras and Loutraki, as well as on the island of Rhodes. Along roads, signs flash warnings that there’s a high fire risk.

The largest blaze in the region of the Dervenochoria forest, north of Athens, spread fast and reached the town of Mandra, gutting dozens of homes and forcing hundreds of residents to flee.

“We put all our effort into making this, we built this, and now it’s all gone,” Andreas Theodosiadis, a resident of Mandra, told reporters. Forecasts predict temperatures of 44.3C in Athens by Sunday.

The UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) predicts temperatures in Europe could even break the 48.8C record set in Sicily two years ago as concerns grow the heat will provoke deaths.

“These are not your normal weather systems of the past. They have arrived as a consequence of climate change,” said John Nairn, senior extreme heat adviser for the WMO.

“It is global warming and it’s going to continue for some time,” Nairn added.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 19/07/2023; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
Advertisement