Tourist hotspots around Europe are facing the first major heatwave of the summer with extreme temperature warnings in place in Spain, while Greece has seen highs in excess of 40C with authorities advising people to stay indoors.
The Spanish weather agency AEMET has warned of extreme temperatures exceeding 40C across much of the country this weekend.
In Madrid the usually busy streets are dotted with residents and tourists seeking relief from the heat, with a severe high temperature warning in place.
Some on the streets were carrying portable fans, with others resting in the shade or under water sprinklers installed in public areas.
For some residents, the heat has become a daily struggle.
Temperatures in Greece yesterday surpassed 40C with authorities advising the public to stay indoors.
At the Acropolis in Athens scores of tourists endured the heat with the help of hats, fans and umbrellas while air-conditioned centers were made available to the public to find refuge until the evening.
Europeans are braced for the first heatwave of the Northern Hemisphere summer, as climate change pushes thermometers on the world’s fastest-warming continent further into the red.
ReplyDeleteWith temperatures expected to rise to 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Italian capital, Rome, on Saturday, the Eternal City’s many tourists and Catholic pilgrims to the Vatican alike have been converging around the Italian capital’s 2,500 public fountains for refreshment.
In France, with residents of the southern port city of Marseille expected to have to cope with temperatures flirting with 40C (104F), authorities ordered public swimming pools to be made free of charge to help residents beat the Mediterranean heat.
ReplyDeleteIn Greece, the first heatwave of the summer arrived on Thursday when a fast-moving wildfire engulfed holiday homes and forest land on a section of the Greek coastline just 40km (25 miles) south of the capital, Athens.
ReplyDeleteThe heatwave comes hot on the heels of a series of tumbling records for extreme heat, including Europe’s hottest March ever, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitor.
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