BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain suffered its first official heat wave of the year, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) across much of the country on Thursday, while Italy, Greece and other parts of southern Europe also struggled to stay cool.
After a relatively bearable spring compared to the record heat of 2023 and 2022, millions of Spaniards will sweat until at least Saturday before feeling any relief. The country’s weather authority said the only areas spared will be the northwestern and northern Atlantic coasts.
Forecasters said a large mass of hot air travelling from North Africa across the Mediterranean will settle over central and southern Spain. That, combined with the typically blazing summer sun, will bake cities such as the beautiful medieval cities of Seville, Toledo and Granada.
The warmest area will be the southern Guadalquivir River basin, where thermometers could reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit). Six regions are under high temperature warning.
2022 was the warmest year for Spain since records began in 1961. 2023 was the second warmest year. first heat wave of last year arrived in June.
Authorities and experts agree that Climate change is the cause of the temperature rise that is also feeding prolonged droughts And forest fires in the Mediterranean and other parts of the world.
In Spain, a heat wave is declared when there are at least three consecutive days and at least 10% of weather stations record temperatures higher than the 95% percentile of average maximum temperatures in July and August.
Hot, dry winds battered Greece, where a prolonged heatwave reached its peak on Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures reached 43C (109F) in several parts of the country, while night-time temperatures in parts of Athens have remained above 30C (86F) for the past 10 days.
The conditions have sparked dozens of wildfires, with firefighters battling 42 blazes across the country on Wednesday. The worst blaze was in a dense pine forest in the Corinth region of southern Greece, where 25 firefighting aircraft were deployed to help ground troops battle the flames. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, while another suffered a heart attack, authorities said.
“We appeal to the public to be extra careful, because in the coming days there is a high risk of serious forest fires breaking out,” said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis. “Even one spark can cause a major catastrophe.”
Italy has placed 14 cities under the highest alert level, with temperatures expected to exceed 40C, especially in central and southern regions. The Health Ministry said it would further extend the red alert to 17 Italian cities on Friday as the intense heat is expected to continue until Sunday.
Serbia’s state energy company reported record consumption on Tuesday due to air conditioning use.
___ Elena Becatoros in Athens and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.
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