Foreign

Southern Europe Still Reels under Heatwave

By Web News 495

Southern Europe will continue to swelter next week as an intense heatwave shows no sign of abating.

Italy, Spain and Greece have been experiencing high temperatures for several days already.

The Italian health ministry issued a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence for the weekend.

The heatwave is expected to continue well into next week, with 48C (118.4F) possible in Sardinia, according to Italian media.

Such a temperature would, however, fall short of the European record high of 48.8C (119.8F) – which was recorded in Sicily in August 2021.

The Italian weather service said Sardinia would be at the “epicentre” of next week’s heatwave – which weather forecasters have dubbed Charon, after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology.

“Temperatures will reach a peak between 19 and 23 July – not only in Italy but also in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. Several local heat records within these areas may well be broken during those days,” Italian meteorologist and climate expert Giulio Betti told the BBC.

Italy’s government has advised anyone in the areas covered by Saturday’s red alerts to avoid direct sunlight between 11:00 and 18:00, and to take particular care of the elderly or vulnerable.

In Rome, tour guide Felicity Hinton, 59, told the BBC the soaring temperatures combined with overcrowding has made it “nightmarish” to navigate the city.

“It’s always hot in Rome but this has just been consistently hot for a lot longer than normal,” she said.

“My tour guide friends and I are extremely stressed out. People have been fainting on tours and there are ambulances outside everywhere.”

Rome resident Elena, 62 told the BBC that she has noticed a “marked change” in summer temperatures since around 2003, and that they have been growing exponentially since.

Meanwhile, Greece has hit temperatures of 40C (104F) or more in recent days. The Acropolis in Athens – the country’s most popular tourist attraction – was closed during the hottest hours of Friday and Saturday to protect visitors.

In Spain’s Canary Islands, a forest fire that broke out on La Palma on Saturday morning forced the evacuation of at least 4,000 people and has so far destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land.

Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government, said at least 12 houses had been destroyed and attributed the quick spread of the fire to “the wind, the climate conditions as well as the heatwave that we are living through”.

Periods of intense heat occur within natural weather patterns, but globally they are becoming more frequent, more intense and are lasting longer due to global warming.

“Heatwaves increase every year in number and intensity… and they are among the most tangible, evident, documented and clearly observable signs of climate change,” Mr Betti said.

“European summers have gotten much, much hotter in recent years… What should worry us is that summers without intense and prolonged heatwaves simply don’t exist anymore. ‘Normal’ summers have become a rarity.”

Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU’s climate monitoring service Copernicus.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Foreign

US Experiences Record-Setting Heat Wave

By Web News 475

A California wildfire ripped through thousands of acres Saturday after being sparked a day earlier, as millions of Americans sweltered through scorching heat with already record-setting temperatures due to climb.

The heat wave encompassing multiple regions has increased the risk of blazes, such as the major Oak Fire, which broke out Friday in California near Yosemite National Park, where giant sequoias have already been threatened by flames in recent days.

The fire — described as “explosive” by officials — grew from about 600 acres to around 11,900 acres (4,800 hectares) within 24 hours. Concentrated in Mariposa County, it has already destroyed ten properties and damaged five others, with thousands more threatened.More than 6,000 people had been evacuated, said Hector Vasquez, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection official, as the fire remained uncontained as of Saturday evening.The department said the fire’s activity was “extreme.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a “state of emergency” in Mariposa County, citing “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.”

The blaze left ashes, gutted vehicles and twisted remains of properties in its wake, as emergency personnel worked to evacuate residents and protect structures in its path.

More than 500 firefighters are working to extinguish the flames and are being assisted by aircraft, Vasquez said. Officials cited by the Los Angeles Times said it could take a week to contain.“There’s personnel showing up from various departments all over the state to help control this fire,”

Vasquez said the situation remained “really challenging.”

Climate scientist Daniel Swain tweeted that the fire was “exhibiting consistently extreme behaviour,” while stunned social media users posted images of billowing plumes of smoke that reached thousands of feet into the air.

In recent years, California and other parts of the western United States have been ravaged by huge and fast-moving wildfires, driven by years of drought and a warming climate.Drought and high temperatures have been “not in our favour,” Vasquez said.

Channels/Olaolu Fawole

Foreign

Heatwave in India leaves millions stranded

By Web News 481

Millions of Indians are experiencing a brutal heat-wave that is throwing lives and livelihoods out of gear without relief in sight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the  temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual.

“The India Meteorological Department, IMD, has forecast a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-4C over most parts of North-western and central India this week, with “no large change thereafter”.

While heat-waves are common in India, especially in May and June, summer began early this year with high temperatures from March itself – average maximum temperatures in the month were the highest in 122 years. Heat-waves also began setting in during the month.

The Centre for Science and Environment, a think tank, says that early heat-waves this year have affected around 15 states, including the northern state of Hi-machal Pradesh, known for its pleasant temperatures.
BBC/Taiwo Akinola