A heatwave scorching southern Europe is expected to set records for high temperatures this week, as a forest fire raged on the Spanish island of La Palma and extreme weather claimed lives across the world.
Temperatures are expected to surge as high as 48 degrees in Sardinia on Tuesday, potentially the highest ever recorded in Europe, while a forecast of 43 degrees in Rome is expected to smash through the previous record for the Italian capital set last summer.
In unusual measurements with potentially damaging knock-on effects, the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea was close to 30 degrees off the island of Sicily, while only the very tip of frozen Mont Blanc was expected to remain below zero.
Spain’s department of civil protection warned of an “extreme risk” of forest fires in the country as 100 firefighters battled a blaze on the island of Palma and sought to prevent it from burning up a national park.
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The fire “is out of control”, said president of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo in statements to media after 4,000 people were evacuated to escape the blaze.
“The fire has spread very quickly due to the wind and the weather conditions, and the heatwave has left it a lot of material,” Mr Clavijo said. Forest fires have already burned through 67,793 hectares in Spain so far this year.
Prolonged heatwaves and drought conditions that have afflicted Europe this summer are part of a global trend of extreme weather, coming as violent monsoon rains killed over 200 people across Asia in floods and landslides, and 115 million people were put under alert for extreme heat in the United States.
“We are currently shattering heat records all over the world. Last week we experienced the hottest days ever recorded, many days in a row,” said climate activist Greta Thunberg wrote on social media. “We are also experiencing record high sea level temperatures and record low ice levels. This is an emergency.”
Italy’s ministry of health issued red alert heat warnings for 16 Italian cities, flagging “emergency conditions” and warning people to avoid direct exposure to the sun between the hours of 11am and 6pm.
It came as several deaths were under investigation in Italy for a suspected link to the high heat, including a 61-year-old janitor who collapsed and died while working in a warehouse in Florence as temperatures reached 39 degrees, and two men who died while playing soccer close to Naples.
As temperatures were forecast to reach 40 degrees in the region of Emilia Romagna, the local Fiom-Cgil union threatened a strike unless fans and fresh water were introduced to workplaces.
Meanwhile in Greece, the Red Cross set up a stand at the Acropolis to help struggling tourists and hand out water, as authorities opted to shut the exposed site during peak heat hours for the safety of visitors and staff.
In Turkey, 48 people were brought to hospital due to the effects of the heat in the region of East Thrace, local media reported, while electricity use hit a record due to the demand of air conditioners.
As the heatwave swept east, Poland’s weather agency warned citizens to “avoid the sun, physical exertion and dehydration” as temperatures were forecast to reach 35 degrees and not to drop below 20 degrees at night.
A second degree heat warning was put in place for the whole country, flagging a potential threat to health and life. Heavy storms and hail were forecast to follow the extreme heat in places, leading to flood warnings to be issued for Monday and Tuesday in the south of the country.
