Italy put 23 cities on red alert as temperatures could reach 46°Celsius on Wednesday, one of the global hotspots as a wave of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding wreak havoc from the US to China.
An intensifying heatwave has hit southern Europe during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records including in Rome. Wildfires burned for a third day west of Greece’s capital Athens, with air water bombers resuming operations at first light and firefighters working throughout the night to keep flames away from coastal refineries. Temperatures could climb to 44°C on Thursday, forecasters said. Residents were left surveying the wreckage of their homes after the wildfires. “Everything burned, everything,” said Abbram Paroutsidis, 65.
In China, which this week was hosting US climate envoy John Kerry for talks, tourists defied the heat to visit a giant thermometer showing surface temperatures of 80°C. In Beijing, which set a new record as temperatures remained above 35°C for the 28th day in a row.
Phoenix in the US broke a similar record, in place for 49 years, with its 19th consecutive day of temperatures of 43. 3°C or higher, weather officials said. More than 86 million people in the US live in areas that were expected to see dangerous heat levels on Wednesday.
In southern France, a record 29. 5°C was recorded in the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d’Huez, while 40. 6°C had been recorded for the first time in Verdun in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Temperatures remained high across much of Italy on Wednesday, with 45°-46°C expected on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and some inland areas of Sicily likely to see temperatures in the mid-40s. The health ministry said it would active a hotline and teams of mobile health workers visited the elderly in Rome.
In Spain, El Corte Ingles, one of the country’s largest department store chains, said sales of air conditioning units had jumped, as had interest in cooling pads for pets and horses. Spain warned of the risk of wildfires in most of the country though residents were allowed to return to their homes in La Palma island where ablaze that raged for five days was stabilised in one sector, although it remained active elsewhere. In Germany, the heatwave sparked an unlikely discussion on whether workplaces should introduce siestas for workers.
An intensifying heatwave has hit southern Europe during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records including in Rome. Wildfires burned for a third day west of Greece’s capital Athens, with air water bombers resuming operations at first light and firefighters working throughout the night to keep flames away from coastal refineries. Temperatures could climb to 44°C on Thursday, forecasters said. Residents were left surveying the wreckage of their homes after the wildfires. “Everything burned, everything,” said Abbram Paroutsidis, 65.
In China, which this week was hosting US climate envoy John Kerry for talks, tourists defied the heat to visit a giant thermometer showing surface temperatures of 80°C. In Beijing, which set a new record as temperatures remained above 35°C for the 28th day in a row.
Phoenix in the US broke a similar record, in place for 49 years, with its 19th consecutive day of temperatures of 43. 3°C or higher, weather officials said. More than 86 million people in the US live in areas that were expected to see dangerous heat levels on Wednesday.
In southern France, a record 29. 5°C was recorded in the Alpine ski resort of Alpe d’Huez, while 40. 6°C had been recorded for the first time in Verdun in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Temperatures remained high across much of Italy on Wednesday, with 45°-46°C expected on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and some inland areas of Sicily likely to see temperatures in the mid-40s. The health ministry said it would active a hotline and teams of mobile health workers visited the elderly in Rome.
In Spain, El Corte Ingles, one of the country’s largest department store chains, said sales of air conditioning units had jumped, as had interest in cooling pads for pets and horses. Spain warned of the risk of wildfires in most of the country though residents were allowed to return to their homes in La Palma island where ablaze that raged for five days was stabilised in one sector, although it remained active elsewhere. In Germany, the heatwave sparked an unlikely discussion on whether workplaces should introduce siestas for workers.