Karon – Europe fears for even worse heat wave

The deadly inferno monster Kerberos has been replaced by Hades ferryman Karon.

Locals flee cities, tourists collapse from sunstroke, homeless people are treated for burns and red alerts are issued for forest fires.

Now authorities – all over the world – are sounding the alarm about the second wave of extreme heat.

The heat wave reaches new heights this weekend.

The second wave of heat that is now hitting the Mediterranean is named by the Italian Meteorological Institute and phased as Karon – which in mythology is the ferryman who brings souls to Hades.

Now the country’s authorities have issued red warnings for “extreme health risk” and raised the alert in 16 cities.

Warning: Avoid direct sunlight

Warnings at red level mean that everyone who is in the city in question is at risk of being affected by the weather.

The health authority has therefore issued a recommendation that everyone in risk areas should avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm during the day.

Among other things, tourist-dense Rome and Florence – with temperatures of 44 degrees – are listed together with the cities of Bologna, Catania and Palermo.

– It’s really terrible. In Rome, we are used to the heat, but not this hot, says tour guide Arianna Santucci to Sky News.

Warnings have also been issued for the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where the temperature is expected to reach 48 degrees, reports CNN.

The heat is paralyzing Europe

Similar warnings have been issued in Croatia, Greece, Spain and Cyprus.

During Friday, the Greek authorities chose to close several of their own offices and several of the country’s archaeological museums. Including the country’s main tourist attraction, the Acropolis in Athens – which is also closed on Saturday.

In Croatia, temperatures of 43 degrees have been measured on Saturday, which according to the forecast is not expected to drop below 27 degrees during the night.

In addition to sweaty days and nights, risk of dehydration and health hazards, several countries are sounding the alarm about raging forest fires.

On Palma, at least 2,000 people have had to evacuate after a large fire broke out on the Spanish island.

The EU’s European Drought Observatory believes that the risk of serious forest fires ranges from moderate to high over most of the continent.

Overcrowded emergency departments

Even in the United States, the heat has paralyzed the country.

These days, about 24 million Americans are expected to live in 46 degrees. Which puts great pressure on the country’s hospitals and authorities.

In Arizona, authorities have set up mobile clinics to treat homeless people suffering from third-degree burns and severe dehydration from the heat.

In Las Vegas, emergency rooms are overcrowded after both locals and tourists collapsed in the heat, CNN reports.

In addition, the weather is expected to break the city’s heat record of 47 degrees.

And in California, emergency services are struggling to fight several fires moving through the state.

Over 100 dead in monsoon rains

In Asia, extreme weather is also reported – but the scorching sun is conspicuous by its absence.

For the past two weeks, an easterly monsoon rain has descended over the northern parts of India.

Over 100 people are said to have died. Vehicles, bridges and entire houses swept away by the onrushing rain masses, TT reports.

About 300 people have been rescued by authorities through helicopters that have been called in, several of them are said to have been tourists.

Monsoon rain has also fallen in China.

Last week at least 15 people died and thousands have fled their homes after extreme amounts of rain fell in the central and southwestern parts of the country.

Scientists are now alarming that there has been an unusual amount of rain around Asia as a result of climate change.

The expert: Record heat – everywhere

According to Gabriele Messori, senior lecturer at Uppsala University, several climate records are expected to be broken this year.

– In recent weeks, two or three heat records have already been broken. We can expect even more to be beaten. It has never been as hot as it is right now, he says and continues:

– Extreme weather with severe floods, storms and extreme heat waves is becoming increasingly common accompanied by climate change.

Gabriele Messori highlights, however, that Karon as a heat wave or the Asian extreme rain is not expected to move in over Sweden.

– Right now, Sweden has fairly normal summer weather. But that does not mean that Sweden will avoid heat waves in the future.