An intense heatwave in Southern Europe shows no signs of subsiding. Southern Europe is expected to continue experiencing sweltering conditions throughout the coming week. Italy, Spain, and Greece have already been grappling with high temperatures for several days. The Italian health ministry has issued a red alert for 16 cities. The cities include Rome, Bologna, and Florence, for the upcoming weekend. According to Italian media, the heatwave is projected to persist. This is with temperatures potentially reaching 48°C (118.4°F) in Sardinia. However, this would fall short of the European record high of 48.8°C (119.8°F). It was recorded in Sicily in August 2021.
Italian meteorologist and climate expert Giulio Betti informed the BBC that temperatures would peak between July 19 and 23. This peak is not only in Italy but also in Greece, Turkey, and the Balkans. Betti also stated that numerous local heat records within these areas could potentially be broken during those days.
In Spain‘s Canary Islands, a forest fire erupted on La Palma, resulting in the evacuation of at least 2,000 people and the destruction of approximately 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land. Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government, attributed the rapid spread of the fire to the wind, climate conditions, and the ongoing heatwave.
In addition, the heatwave is expected to extend to the Balkans later next week, despite countries like Serbia and Hungary already experiencing daily temperatures around 35°C (95°F).