Heatwave continues in southern Europe, where authorities urge people to protect themselves

From Venice to Lisbon, via Seville and Bordeaux, cities in southern Europe recorded another day of high temperatures this Sunday (29), with authorities asking the population to protect themselves in this early heatwave.

Peaks of up to 43°C are expected in several parts of Spain and Portugal, while in France, practically the entire territory will record high temperatures until the middle of next week.

On Saturday, Spain broke a record – not yet confirmed – since records began: thermometers marked 46ºC in Granado, Andalusia, surpassing the maximum of 45.2ºC recorded in Seville in June 1965, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

In Italy, 21 cities are on high alert due to extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence and the capital, Rome.

“We were supposed to visit the Colosseum, but my mother nearly fainted,” said Anna Becker, a British tourist who traveled to the Eternal City.

Several ambulances were positioned near tourist areas, ready for any emergency, and many regions issued fire alerts.

Emergency departments at Italian hospitals have seen a rise in heatstroke cases, said Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine.

"We have seen an increase of about 10 percent, especially in cities that not only have very high temperatures but also higher humidity levels. It is mainly the elderly, cancer patients or homeless people who suffer from dehydration, heat stroke and fatigue," Guarino told AFP.

Experts warn that heat waves will become more frequent and intense due to climate change.

– “Climate refuges” –

Faced with the health risks, some hospitals have decided to come up with ways to speed up heatstroke treatments, such as immersion in cold water, Guarino said.

In Venice, authorities offered free guided tours of museums and air-conditioned public buildings for people over 75.

Bologna has created seven “climate shelters” with air conditioning and drinking water, and Ancona is distributing dehumidifiers to the most vulnerable. In Rome, municipal swimming pools will be free for people over 70.

Scientists say that heat waves become more intense in cities, where phenomena known as “urban heat domes” occur, causing temperatures to rise.

“Heatwaves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and intense in recent years, with peaks of 37°C or more in cities, where the urban heat island effect raises temperatures even further,” said Emanuela Piervitali, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).

“In the future, temperatures and thermal extremes are expected to increase even further, so we will have to get used to even higher temperature peaks than we have now,” she told AFP.

In Spain, several regions, especially in the south, southwest and northeast, remained on orange alert this Sunday, the second most dangerous, and many points could once again exceed 40ºC.

“Be very cautious with high temperatures: this is an adverse meteorological phenomenon, which represents a risk for exposed and/or vulnerable people,” warned the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) on its X account.

– Birds at risk –

In Portugal, several areas in the southern region of the country, including the capital Lisbon, will remain on red alert until Monday night due to the possible “persistence of extremely high maximum temperature values”, according to the website of IPMA, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere.

“We advised people to keep cool, but we still had cases of heatstroke and burns,” pharmacist Sofia Montnteiro told AFPTV.

“The heat wave is particularly strong this year. It’s hard to bear, we stop a lot, we drink, so we have the chance to have a drink, a good beer! It’s a good excuse,” said French biologist Cédric Gérard, a tourist visiting Lisbon.

Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert on Sunday due to extreme heat and wildfires, as was the Italian island of Sicily, where firefighters battled 15 blazes on Saturday.

In France, experts have warned that the heat is also seriously affecting biodiversity.

“With this suffocating heat, temperatures can exceed 40°C in some nests,” Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), warned AFP.

“We are receiving at-risk birds from all over the place; our seven care centers are saturated,” he said.

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