Heatwave intensifies in southern Europe; 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 from 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).
This Sunday was very hot in Spain, although it is still pending confirmation whether the temperatures exceeded those of Saturday.
According to provisional data released by Aemet on its website, some regions of Extremadura and Andalusia, respectively in the south and southwest of the country, thermometers reached 44ºC this Sunday.
As in much of the country, the day was also very hot in the capital, Madrid, where temperatures reached close to 40ºC.
“I feel that the heat is not normal for the time of year. As the years go by, I have the feeling that Madrid is getting hotter and hotter, especially in the central part,” Diego Radamé, a 32-year-old photographer, told AFPTV.
“Yes, this is total climate change. I don’t think we’ve experienced this in years,” said Marta Bordonado, a 31-year-old teacher, next to him.
In Barcelona, a cleaning service worker died on Saturday after finishing her work. The city council told AFP that it was sorry to hear about the woman's death but that it was still investigating the cause of her death.
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.
Given the health risks, some hospitals have decided to come up with ways to speed up the treatment of heatstroke, such as immersion in cold water, Guarino said.
Bologna, meanwhile, has set up seven “climate shelters” with air conditioning and drinking water, and Ancona has distributed 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 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.
On the streets of Lisbon, residents and tourists sought relief as best they could from the heat that could reach 41ºC today.
“We advise people to keep cool, but we still have had cases of heatstroke and burns,” Lisbon pharmacist Sofia Montnteiro told AFPTV.
“It’s not normal at all. At least in Spain we have a few degrees less, but here the heat wave is more noticeable,” he said.
In France, Ecological Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said 84 departments were on orange alert due to the heatwave.
“It’s something never seen before,” he said.
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