“Temperatures are rising across Europe this week amid a prolonged and intense heatwave. And it’s only just getting started,” the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement.
Heat waves were blamed for more than 61,000 deaths during Europe's scorching summer last year. Parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Italy are all facing severe heat, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Temperatures could reach record levels in Italy. Sardinia and Sicily are expected to be close to the European record of 48.8 degrees Celsius, according to the ESA.
On July 14, the Italian Health Ministry issued an “extreme” health risk warning for 15 cities, including Rome and Florence, as the heatwave continues. In Rome, several tourists have collapsed in the past week due to heatstroke, including a British tourist who fainted in front of the Colosseum on July 11.
Alessandro Miani, president of the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA), told state broadcaster RAI that Italy “has a sad record as the European country with the highest number of deaths due to heatwaves”.
In Greece, authorities say temperatures could reach 44 degrees Celsius.
The Greek Culture Ministry said it would close the Acropolis in Athens from midday local time until 5pm on Friday due to the heat. Police and emergency services assisted a female tourist who was in trouble due to the heat on the Acropolis.
Temperatures are expected to peak at 42 degrees Celsius (112 degrees Fahrenheit) in Athens by midday, according to the Greek meteorological service. In Croatia, dozens of firefighters were deployed as a large forest fire broke out near Grebastica, a small town near the coastal city of Sbenik. Temperatures are expected to remain around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across the region this week.
Europe isn't the only place facing extreme temperatures. A dangerous heat wave that has been raging for weeks in parts of the western United States is set to worsen this weekend, with more than 90 million people under heat warnings. The hottest place on Earth, California's Death Valley, could reach 134 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 degrees Celsius), forecasters at the National Weather Service told CNN.
A combination of human-caused climate change and the emergence of a natural global warming phenomenon, El Niño, is pushing temperatures to record extremes. Last month was the hottest June on record globally, and last week the planet saw its hottest day on record. As the climate crisis intensifies, scientists say record-breaking heat waves will only become more frequent and severe.
