- AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Italy – Italy issued a hot weather alert for 16 cities on Sunday after meteorologists warned that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days.
Spain, Italy, and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days already, damaging agriculture and leaving tourists scurrying for shade.
Meanwhile, on the La Palma island in Spain, 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to forest fires.
A new anticyclone, named Charon moved from northern Africa to southern Europe on Sunday, raising temperatures in parts of Italy to above 45 degrees Celsius earlier this week.
"We must prepare for a severe heat storm, which will sweep across the country day after day," said an Italian weather news portal.
"In some areas, the heat may go beyond the limit,"
Kebakaran hutan di Spanyol.
- Xinhua.
Last Friday Greece closed the Acropolis, a historic tourist spot included in the world heritage site, to protect travelers from the heat.
Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said authorities were continuing to monitor the impact of this hot weather on public activities in Rome and urged citizens to take precautions.
"Visiting the Colosseum when temperatures reach 43 degrees Celsius is not recommended, especially for the elderly," he told Il Messaggero newspaper.
He advised people not to engage in outdoor activities when the air reaches its hottest between 11 am and 6 pm.
Heat warnings were also issued for Florence in central Italy, Palermo in Sicily, and Bari in southeast Italy.
In Spain, forecasters warned of the risk of forest fires. They consider it likely that people will have difficulty sleeping well at night as it is unlikely that temperatures will drop below 25 degrees Celsius.
Forecasters expect the heat wave to intensify from Monday, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius in the Guadalquivir valley near Sevilla in southern Spain.
Europe's highest temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Sicily two years ago. The figure may be exceeded in the coming days, especially on Sardinia island in Italy.
