2023-07-17 22:08:53
The northern hemisphere is suffering a crushing heat wave with temperatures reaching 52° in China and 47° in Spain and Italy, while fires threaten Athens and a cyclone forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in Asia.
Health authorities issued intense heat alerts in the United States, Europe and Asia, in a new example of the effects of global warming.
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The forecasts are not encouraging. Meteorological services across the northern hemisphere are warning of a persistent heat wave that will last for the next few days.
In Europe temperatures of up to 48° are expected
Italy is preparing to face the highest temperatures in its history. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia expect to reach 48ºC, according to the European Space Agency.
In Rome, 42 ° C is expected on Tuesday, an absolute record for the capital, according to the meteorological agency of the Italian Air Force.
A girl cools off in a fountain in Milan, northern Italy, in the face of a sweltering heat wave (Photo: AP)
Spain once more experienced a phenomenon of “unusually high” temperatures for the season since Monday, which raised the risk of forest fires, authorities warned.
The thermometer reached 47 ºC in Villarrobledo, in the province of Albacete (southeast), at the end of the followingnoon, approaching the record of 47.6 ºC registered on August 14, 2021 in the Andalusian city of La Rambla, south of the country reported the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
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On Monday followingnoon, the thermometer marked 44.7 ºC in Jaén and 44.5 ºC in Córdoba, both provinces in the Andalusia region (south).
In France, temperatures might reach 40°C on Tuesday in the southeast of the country, according to Météo-France. The phenomenon was repeated in central and eastern Europe.
In this context of high temperatures on the European continent, several fires broke out near Athens, the capital of Greece, fueled by strong winds.
In Kouvaras, east of Athens, a fire swept through the area and reached another town some 40 km southeast of the capital. Further west, near the coastal town of Loutraki, along the Corinth Canal, authorities evacuated 1,200 children from summer camps, according to the town’s mayor, Giorgos Gkionis.
Death Valley: 54° in the California desert
In the United States, meteorological services are observing an “oppressive” heat wave in the south and west of the country and are predicting several record temperatures.
In California’s famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on the planet, the thermometer nearly reached 54°C on Sunday.
A sign warns in multiple languages of extreme heat in Death Valley National Park, California, on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. July is the hottest month in the park, with an average high of 46.5 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)By: AP
Several fires in southern California devastated more than 3,000 hectares and caused evacuations of the population.
In Florida, the city of Miami issued its first “excessive heat” alert in its history.
And in Canada, more than ten million hectares have already burned. This Monday, 882 fires were still active, 579 of them considered out of control, according to the Canadian Forest Fire Center (CIFFC).
In China, 52.2°
Meanwhile, China registered a temperature of 52.2 °C on Sunday in the Xinjiang region (west), a record for mid-July, the meteorological service reported on Monday.
A semi-desert territory bordering several Central Asian countries, Xinjiang is generally China’s warmest region in summer.
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Japan issued heat alerts in 32 of the country’s 47 prefectures on Monday, with temperatures close to 2018’s all-time record of 41.1°C.
The country is also facing torrential rains that have already left at least eight people dead. In neighboring South Korea, heavy rains in recent days have left 39 dead.
A cyclone forces the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Asia
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated on Monday in southern China and in Vietnam, where dozens of flights were canceled, due to an incoming cyclone, according to local authorities.
The Chinese Meteorological Administration said Cyclone Talim made landfall on the coast of Guangdong province on Monday.
Strong storms hit Hong Kong (Photo: AFP)
According to the same office, strong winds and torrential rains were forecast Monday night on the coasts from Guangdong to Hainan. An orange alert was issued, the second highest on a scale of four.
The storm should lose strength Tuesday morning and “weaken and dissipate over northern Vietnam” on Wednesday.
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