ROME (AP) — Italy’s Health Ministry issued the strictest heat warning for 12 cities on Tuesday after a hot air wave from Africa battered southern Europe, sending temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104F). The worst is yet to come.
Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to care especially for the elderly, after civil protection was called in to help deploy Canadairs and other aircraft to extinguish forest fires raging in southern Italy and northern Macedonia.
“It’s hellishly hot,” said Carmen Diaz, a tourist from Madrid who tried to cool off with a fan during lunch in Rome. “These fans help a little bit, but it’s really hot.”
In Greece, municipalities made air-conditioned spaces available to the public. Certain types of outdoor work were banned, such as manual labor, deliveries and construction, during the hottest part of the day, when temperatures reached 40 C.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius in several countries on Wednesday and Thursday. Spain’s national weather service said thermometers could reach 44 degrees Celsius in the southern Guadalquivir river basin in the coming days.
To beat the heat, Rome Zoo has made plans to give the animals ice cream later this week, when temperatures are expected to exceed 38 degrees Celsius.
There were no ice-cold treats for visitors to the Coldplay concerts in the Eternal City this week.
“It really feels like we’re in an oven with a hairdryer pointed at us,” said Patrizia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome from Varese for the band’s final performance on Tuesday night.
Fellow concertgoer Mattia Rossi was a bit more philosophical, noting that the violent storms that hit Italy earlier this summer are evidence that climate change is wreaking havoc on weather systems in the southern Mediterranean.
“These are all symptoms of a planet that, in my opinion, is suffering,” Rossi said.
In Albania, where temperatures were expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit), a 72-year-old man was found dead on his farm in Memaliaj, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the capital Tirana. The cause of death was believed to be the heat, local Panorama portal reported. There was no immediate confirmation from health authorities.
In Tirana itself, the streets and cafes seemed almost empty, with the few people outside using umbrellas to protect themselves. High temperatures and winds have fueled forest fires from the south to the north in recent weeks.
Even with temperatures at a relatively cool 34 C, Istanbul Municipality issued a heat warning on Tuesday, advising residents — especially the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with health conditions — to avoid going outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The advisory said temperatures in Istanbul were expected to remain 3 to 6 degrees above seasonal norms until July 28 and advised residents to drink plenty of fluids and opt for light or cotton clothing.
For the second time this month, North Macedonia has been hit by a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius. Since the beginning of the month, some 200 forest fires have raged in the country, with one firefighter injured so far. The government has declared a month-long state of emergency.
In Italy, the civil protection service reported receiving 18 calls for help on Monday to extinguish forest fires raging in several southern regions.
The Health Ministry has placed 12 cities, from Trieste in the north to Rome in the center, under a red heat alert, the highest state of emergency for heat. In cities with such alerts, everyone, not just the elderly or young children, is urged to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day and to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and heavy meals.
Palermo in Sicily would be added to the list of cities with a high health status on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health.
Much of Greece was also experiencing a heat wave that was expected to last until the end of the week. In some areas, temperatures were expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius. The heat wave was expected to be at its peak on Wednesday and Thursday, hitting regions in central, western and northern Greece. Temperatures there could reach 43 degrees Celsius.
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Elena Becatoros in Athens, Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain contributed to this report.
