Although the southerners are already used to the fact that in the middle of the day in the summer it is best to relax in cool rooms with air conditioning (let’s remember the Spanish siesta, during which life disappears on the streets and both cafes and shops are closed), what is happening now seems crazy even to them. “I don’t remember in my life that such steam would have remained for such a long time,” said a pensioner living in Rome in a conversation with AFP, admitting that the consequences of global climate change are now visible on the palm of your hand. Throughout the second half of last week, the air in the Eternal City warmed up to 36, sometimes 38 degrees every day, but meteorologists confidently predict that this week will beat the heat record reached in August 2007 in Rome – 40.5 degrees. What’s more, some forecasts show that the temperature could even rise to 43 degrees.
The Italian government has called on citizens to spend as little time as possible in direct sunlight between 11:00 and 18:00. Italian newspapers say that many people do, but there is one big problem – tourists. People who have been waiting for a vacation for a long time and have now arrived in Rome, Florence or any other Italian city, want to see all the sights that a proper self-respecting tourist should see, instead of sitting in a cool hotel room, writes “La Stampa”. “They are dropping like flies here. Fortunately, there have been no fatal cases, but doctors regularly have to be called to help an Italian guest who has overheated in the sun. More often, however, we manage on our own – because the cold water reserves are sufficient,” said a tour leader. Therefore, the Italian government is considering taking an example from Greek officials. Since Friday, access to the Acropolis has been closed during the hottest hours of the day, because otherwise it was not possible to prevent tourists from staying in the sun for a long time, and doctors complained that the number of people suffering from heat stroke reached tens of people. Refreshing yourself in city fountains or sticking your head under the drinking water tap is only a temporary solution, because in such heat the body loses water faster than a person is able to absorb it, doctors explained.
Meteorologists have given the name “Cerberus” to last week’s heat wave. In ancient Greek mythology, it was the name of a nasty three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to the underworld. This week’s heat wave has been dubbed “Charon” – in the same ancient Greek mythology, it was the mover who brought the souls of the dead across the river Styx to the underworld. Some might find such analogies too scary and exaggerated. But as Reuters points out, they are well-placed, as several studies suggest that last year’s heatwaves across Europe may have killed around 61,000 people prematurely. Unlike earthquakes or similar natural elements, it is very difficult to clearly say that overheating was the cause of death, however, scientists have developed a methodology to be able to state with a high degree of confidence that if a given person had avoided heat stroke, his life could have been longer. Of course, elderly people are in the risk zone, as well as those who already suffer from some chronic ailments, because overheating is said to be a very strong catalyst for them to become acute.
Italian meteorologist Giulio Betti said in a conversation with the BBC that the new heat wave will reach its peak between July 19 and 23, and there is currently no guarantee that another one will not follow it soon. According to Beti, the greatest heat these days is expected in Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Balkan countries. Whether the temperature in Sardinia and Sicily will actually rise to 48 degrees (which was predicted at the beginning of last week) is not yet clear. However, there is no doubt that it will exceed 40 degrees for several days in a row in a large part of Italy. Similar weather conditions will prevail in the south of Spain.
AP emphasizes that heat records these days are (and most likely will be) also broken in Eastern Europe – specifically in the Czech Republic and Poland. But if you look more broadly, then the heat also affected the western states of the USA from California to Texas. In Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, the air has warmed up to at least 43 degrees Celsius for 16 days in a row. Also on the other side of the world – in Japan – an extreme heat warning has been announced, which may mean that the air temperature in Tokyo and its surroundings may rise above the 40 degree mark.
2023-07-17 02:15:14
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