(Rome) The heat wave spread across the world on Saturday, from Europe to China via the United States, forcing the authorities to take drastic measures to deal with these heat waves and new fires, new illustration of global warming.
From Saturday, Italy, from north to south, is expected to experience a heat wave, with historic temperature records expected in the coming days. On Sunday, 16 cities will be on red alert across the country.
In several central cities, from Rome to Bologna, from Florence to Pescara, the thermometer should reach 36/37 ° C on Sunday, before the dreaded peak at the start of next week.
According to the daily Il Messaggerotwo amateur soccer players aged 48 and 51 died on Friday evening, after illness probably due to the heat, during matches in the Naples region (South).
The Italian Meteorological Center says it fears “the most intense heat wave of the summer but also one of the most intense of all time”.
PHOTO GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE, REUTERS
A man enjoys the fountain at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy on July 14.
In Rome, the mercury could rise to 40°C on Monday, then 42 or 43°C on Tuesday, shattering the previous record of 40.5°C recorded in the capital in August 2007.
The north of the peninsula should not be spared with 38 ° C expected Tuesday in Milan.
Like Italy, many countries in Europe are also facing an extensive heat wave.
In Germany, over a large part of the country, temperatures could rise to 38 degrees, according to a press release from the German meteorological service, published on Saturday. Severe thunderstorms are also expected in the west and south-west with a risk of gusts of up to 110 km / h.
Acropolis closed
Greece is also suffering from a heat wave which forces local authorities, for the second day in a row, to close the Acropolis of Athens during the hottest hours.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site and overrun by tourists will remain closed between 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. Eastern Time) and 5:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. Eastern Time). of the East), announced the Ministry of Culture.
While temperatures of 40°C to 41°C are expected in Athens, “the true temperature felt […] by the body is considerably higher “at the top of the Acropolis, justified on Friday the Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni.
PHOTO LOUIZA VRADI, REUTERS
Visitors queuing to access the Parthenon on July 14 in Athens, Greece on July 14.
Visitors have been victims of discomfort in recent days, especially at the top of the Acropolis where they had come to admire the Parthenon.
The Red Cross deployed on Thursday at the foot of the Acropolis to distribute “daily at least 30,000 50 cl bottles of water” and come to the aid of tourists.
Several parks and green spaces in Athens will also remain closed this Saturday.
North Africa is also affected. In Morocco, which has been experiencing a series of heat waves since the beginning of the summer, a red heat alert has been issued for several provinces.
In Asia, several provinces in southern and southeast China will experience high temperatures over the weekend, reaching 35 to 40 degrees C, according to the Central Meteorological Observatory. In parts of the northwest, some cities could even exceed 40°C.
In Japan, authorities have urged people to be cautious as temperatures are expected to reach 39°C in the east of the country, according to the local forecaster.
PHOTO ADREES LATIF, REUTERS
Two men treat themselves to some shade on benches in Houston, Texas on July 14.
On the other side of the globe, the southern United States is roasting under a heat wave: tens of millions of Americans, from California to Texas, experienced dangerously high temperatures on Friday, which are expected to peak in weekend course.
Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, on Friday recorded its 15e day in a row above 43 degrees, according to the US weather services.
California wildfires
In the Californian desert of Death Valley, American firefighters were fighting very violent fires on Friday.
PHOTO DAVID SWANSON, AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Firefighters battle the Rabbit Fire in Moreno Valley, California on July 14.
For climatologist Daniel Swain of the University of California, Los Angeles, the mercury there could equal or even exceed the highest air temperature ever reliably measured on Earth, 54.4°C recorded at the same place in 2020 and 2021, according to several experts.
Smoke from fires in Canada, where more than 500 fires are out of control, had already led to several episodes of heavy air pollution over the northeastern United States in June.
In Greece, where violent forest fires had raged during the summer of 2021 due to an exceptional heat wave, the authorities have warned of the high risk of fire, especially in regions where strong winds are expected to blow.
In Italy, Civil Protection issued fire alert bulletins over much of Sardinia from Sunday, as well as for eastern Sicily, between Messina and Catania.
Globally, June was the hottest month ever measured, according to the European Copernicus and American NASA and NOAA agencies. Then, the first full week of July was in turn the hottest on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the strength, duration and rate of repetition of heat waves, experts say.
Heat is one of the deadliest weather events, the WMO said. Last summer in Europe alone, high temperatures caused more than 60,000 deaths, according to a recent study.