Heat waves across the globe: Maximum temperatures expected on Saturday

Record temperatures are expected around the world on Saturday, from Europe to China to the United States, a new example of global warming, forcing authorities to take drastic measures to deal with these heat waves and new fires.

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From Saturday, Italy is expected to experience a heat wave, from north to south, with historic temperature records expected in the coming days. On Sunday, a red alert was issued for 16 cities across the country.

In many central cities, from Rome to Bologna, from Florence to Pescara, the thermometer should reach 36/37 ° C on Sunday, before reaching a terrible peak at the beginning of next week.

According to the daily Il Messaggero, two amateur soccer players, aged 48 and 51, died on Friday evening in the Naples region (south) after falling ill due to the heat during matches.

The Italian Meteorological Agency is fearing “the most intense heat wave of the summer, but also one of the most extreme of all time”.

In Rome, temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius on Monday and then 42 or 43 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 40.5 degrees Celsius set in the capital in August 2007.

The north of the peninsula is not to be, with 38°C expected in Milan on Tuesday.

Like Italy, many countries in Europe are facing an extensive heat wave.

In Germany, temperatures could rise to 38 degrees in most parts of the country, according to a press release from the German Meteorological Service issued on Saturday. There is a risk of heavy thundershowers in the west and south-west and wind gusts of up to 110 kmph.

The Acropolis was closed

Greece has been hit by a heat wave, forcing local authorities to close Athens’ Acropolis during the heatwave for the second day in a row.

The site, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and stormed by tourists, will be closed between 11:30 am local (08:30 GMT) and 5:30 pm local (14:30 GMT), the Ministry of Culture announced.

AFP

While temperatures in Athens are expected to be between 40°C and 41°C, the “actual temperature felt […] By the body is significantly more” on top of the Acropolis, reasoned Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni on Friday.

In recent days visitors have suffered from discomfort, especially at the top of the Acropolis where they came to admire the Parthenon.

The Red Cross came to the aid of tourists on Thursday by distributing “at least 30,000 50cl bottles of water every day” at the foot of the Acropolis.

Many parks and green spaces in Athens will also be closed this Saturday.

North Africa is also affected. In Morocco, which has been experiencing a series of heat waves since the beginning of summer, a red heat alert has been issued for several provinces.

In Asia, several provinces in southern and southeastern China are expected to see high temperatures of 35 to 40 C over the weekend, the Central Meteorological Center said. In the north-western parts, some cities may even touch 40 degrees Celsius.

In Japan, authorities urged people to be cautious as temperatures in the east of the country are expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius.

Getty Images via AFP

On the other side of the world, the southern US is roasting under a heat wave: Millions of Americans from California to Texas experienced dangerously high temperatures on Friday, which are expected to peak over the course of the weekend.

Arizona’s capital, Phoenix, recorded its 15th straight day above 43 degrees on Friday, according to the U.S. Weather Service.

California wildfires

In California’s Death Valley desert, U.S. firefighters battled one of the most violent fires on Friday.

For Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, the mercury there could equal or exceed the maximum air temperature reliably measured on Earth, or the 54.4 degrees Celsius recorded at the same location in 2020 and 2021, according to several experts.

Smoke from more than 500 wildfires burning in Canada has already caused several episodes of severe air pollution in the northeastern United States in June.

In Greece, an exceptional heat wave sparked violent forest fires in the summer of 2021, with authorities warning of a high fire risk in areas expected to experience particularly strong winds.

AFP

In Italy, civil defense issued fire warnings for most of Sardinia, eastern Sicily and between Messina and Catania from Sunday.

Globally, June was the warmest on record, according to the European Copernicus and the US NASA and NOAA agencies. Then, the first full week of July was the hottest on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Experts say greenhouse gas emissions increase the strength, duration and recurrence rate of heat waves.

Heatstroke is one of the most extreme weather events, according to the WMO. A recent study revealed that over 60,000 people died last summer due to extreme heat in Europe alone.