Extreme Heat Turns Deadly in Southern Europe

Posted: July 24, 2023 11:05 am

A pervasive heat wave sweeping through southern Europe is showing no signs of letting up, creating destructive wildfires and deadly thunderstorms. Here is the latest news on this precarious situation.

Several Records Shattered in Europe as Sweltering Temperatures Continue

Records continue to fall throughout the southern tier of Europe as heat grips the region. Forecasters are predicting that the worst of the heat will move to the east in the coming days, sending the sweltering weather to new areas while providing slight relief for other parts of the continent.

Officials in Italy have dubbed this latest heat wave “Charon,” a nod to the ferryman in ancient Greek mythology who had the job of bringing souls to the underworld. The ridge of high pressure blamed on this extreme heat will move to the east in the coming days, sending the mercury upwards in the central and eastern portions of the Mediterranean region.

While this will be uncomfortable for those in this part of Europe, the western half of the continent will finally begin to see some relief.

It has been a week of record-breaking weather in the southwestern corner of Europe. A number of all-time temperature records were broken during this current heat wave. For instance, Rome recorded a temperature of 108 degrees last Tuesday, besting the previous record from 2022 by 1 degree.

The island of Sardinia hit a high of 115 degrees while Sicily saw the mercury climb to 113 degrees on Wednesday.

Over in France, the town of Cannes set a new record with a high temperature of 102.5 degrees. The community of Pégomas hit an astonishing 104.5. Both of these records were also set last Wednesday.

It was not any cooler in Spain. The area of Catalonia recorded a high reading of 113 degrees to start the week. From there, the heat wave spread to the east.

Heat-Related Deaths Expected to Rise

The heat wave has already claimed at least one life. An elderly man was confirmed to have died of heatstroke last weekend in Cyprus. Local officials warn that the death toll is likely much higher as it takes time to confirm deaths related to the heat.

For instance, a recent study detailed that last summer’s European heat wave was responsible for at least 61,000 deaths.

A number of cities have worked to mitigate the negative impacts of the heat by opening cooling spaces and putting in other measures to assist the most vulnerable populations. Some workers in Greece have also been encouraged to work remotely in an effort to reduce the strain on the energy grid.

Wildfires and Deadly Storms Byproducts of the Heat

Several large wildfires have ignited across Greece as temperatures continue to climb and moisture becomes more limited. The heavily forested island of Rhodes has been the epicenter of Greece’s wildfire scene.

The suburbs located to the west of the heavily populated capital of Athens have also seen multiple fires break out, forcing the evacuations of communities in the line of fire. Crews from France and Italy have arrived on the scene to help Greek firefighters as they work to get the infernos under control.

Unfortunately for the crews going to battle against these blazes, forecasters do not see the chance of any significant rain in the near future. The heat dome is expected to remain anchored over the region until at least the end of July. It will take a weakening of this ridge of high pressure to allow any rain to develop.

While this part of the continent has seen pervasive dry weather, daily thunderstorms across the Alps and the Balkans have turned deadly. At least four people were killed in Croatia last week when a line of storms spread through the Balkans. In addition to those four fatalities, one person was killed in Bosnia and one died in Slovenia due to the storms.

Over in Italy, the town of Veneto was hit by a particularly violent storm that injured over 100 people and damaged dozens of homes. The storms also packed frequent lightning that is being blamed for some of the fires burning the Balkans.

When Will Relief Arrive?

There is some relief on the horizon for the western portions of Europe as the heat dome moves to the east. The worst of the heat is in the rearview mirror for places such as Spain and northern Italy.

However, the high temperatures will hang on across the southern half of Italy and up through Romania and the Balkans to start the new week. The core of the heat dome will center across southeastern Italy and across to Albania and Greece. Widespread readings in the triple digits will be the norm for the week in this part of Europe.

Although the southern half of Europe has been baking under the hot July sun, the northern fringes of the continent has seen a steady parade of storms that have kept temperatures hovering at or below the historical average. This includes unseasonably cool weather across the United Kingdom, much of Germany, and northern France.

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