The northern hemisphere begins a new week in oppressive heat on Monday, with temperatures in Europe expected above 40° in Italy or heat wave alerts in Spain. Up to 48°C are expected at the start of the week in Sardinia, a Mediterranean island west of the Italian Boot…
In Spain, which is already emerging from a sweltering week, the meteorological agency issued an orange alert for Monday on Sunday, warning of temperatures of 38° to 42° over large areas of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, as well as a red alert (extreme danger) Monday in areas of Andalusia, and Tuesday in Aragon, Catalonia and Mallorca (42° to 44°).
The consequences of this high heat have already been felt in the Canary Islands, on the island of La Palma, where a fire ravaged 5,000 hectares of land this weekend and forced the evacuation of 4,000 people.
Southern Europe is about to experience a historic heat wave.
© / The Express
34°C in Rome
In Europe, where global warming is progressing at a rate twice as fast as the global average according to experts, several countries are particularly suffering. “I’m really struggling with the heat. I bought a mini-fan, an umbrella and bottles of water,” lamented Lilu Da Costa Rosa, a 48-year-old Brazilian saleswoman visiting Rome, where the thermometer reached 34°C at 1:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. GMT).
In Italy, 16 cities are on red alert across the country, with mercury hovering around 36/37°C, but perceived temperatures that could exceed 40°.
Braving the heat, there were still 15,000 pilgrims and tourists, according to the Vatican gendarmerie, to gather in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday to listen to Pope Francis recite the traditional Angelus prayer.
The Acropolis of Athens was closed to the public on Sunday
Braving the heat, there were still 15,000 pilgrims and tourists, according to the Vatican gendarmerie, to gather in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday to listen to Pope Francis recite the traditional Angelus prayer. Among them, François Mbemba, a 29-year-old Congolese priest. He says: “This heat continues into the night, we have trouble sleeping. And we who are dressed in black, we sweat like hell.” “It’s hard to adapt, it’s hotter than in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
In Romania, temperatures will be around 39 degrees on Monday. In Greece, where temperatures are expected to drop slightly, the Acropolis of Athens was closed to the public on Sunday between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time. Local authorities urged people to be careful and warned of the high risk of fires.
A tourist poses in front of the entrance to the Acropolis, which was closed due to a heat wave in Athens, July 14, 2023.
© / afp.com/Spyros BAKALIS
Almost 40°C in Provence
This oppressive heat wave will raise temperatures to 40°C on Tuesday in places in the southeastern quarter of France, according to Météo-France, while relatively sparing the rest of the country. The interior of Provence and Corsica are likely to reach 40°C, with the peak expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last summer heat waves, and in particular a heat wave at the same time in July, caused more than 60,000 deaths in Europe, according to a study by the French National Institute of Health (Inserm) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published July 10 in Nature Medicine.
But France is relatively spared by the current heat wave since only one department, the Alpes-Maritimes, has been placed by Météo-France on “orange” vigilance alert (“be very vigilant”) until Tuesday.