Intense southern Europe heat wave helps trigger wildfires, deadly thunderstorms
A massive heat dome has rewritten the record books across southern Europe, and AccuWeather forecasters warn that more extreme heat is ahead into next week.
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The latest heat wave to roast Europe this summer has smashed a number of all-time records across the continent this week. AccuWeather meteorologists say the core of the heat will shift to the east in the coming days, keeping temperatures abnormally high in parts of the continent, while cooler air will arrive in other areas.
The heat wave, dubbed "Charon" by officials in Italy, has also helped to trigger wildfires that have forced evacuations in Greece, and severe thunderstorms, including one that turned deadly in the Balkans Wednesday.
Since the ridge of high pressure, or "heat dome," responsible for the extraordinarily high temperatures will continue to shift east into the central and eastern Mediterranean region through the end of this weekend, so will the core of the heat. This will allow Western Europe, where many new temperature records were set this past week, to finally cool down a bit.
A man cools off in a fountain during a hot and sunny day of summer in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Most of Spain is under alert for high to extreme heat with forecasts calling for peak temperatures of 43 C (109 F) in areas along the Ebro River in the northeast and on the island of Mallorca. Spain is also dealing with a prolonged drought that has increased concerns about the risk of wildfires. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Heat wave rewrites record books in southwestern Europe
All across southwestern Europe, from Spain to Italy, all-time temperature records above 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) have fallen this past week amid the most recent heat wave.
In Rome, the temperature topped out at 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) Tuesday, beating the all-time record high set just last year by 1 degree C. On the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Sicily, the temperatures rose to the astonishing levels of 115 degrees F (or 46.2 degrees C), and 113 degrees F (or 44.8 degrees C), respectively, Wednesday.
New, never-before-recorded temperatures were also reported in the French towns of Cannes (102.5 degrees F or 39.2 degrees C) and Pégomas (104.5 degrees F or 40.3 degrees C) Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Spain set the pace. A weather station in Catalonia, near Barcelona, recorded a high of 113 degrees F (45 degrees C) on Monday.
A boy sits on the edge of a fountain in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. An intense heat wave has reached Italy, bringing temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius in many cities across the country. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The heat wave is also proving to be deadly. Last weekend, an elderly man died in Cyprus, and six others were hospitalized due to heatstroke, according to The Associated Press.
The true toll of the heat waves will likely not become clear for months after, as was the case with last year's extreme heat, which was found to have killed at least 61,000 people in Europe, according to a recent study.
To counter the deadly effects of the heat, officials across Europe are mobilizing. In Italy, cities were placed on alert for the heat, and local authorities opened municipal swimming pools especially for elderly people, according to The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Greek officials activated several emergency measures amid the heat, including opening cooling spaces, and allowing employees of private companies to work remotely, according to The New York Times.
The record heat hasn't just been confined to Europe in recent days and months. New all-time temperature records were also being set in parts of the southwestern United States and in Asia.
The heat is helping to fuel massive wildfires and storms
A byproduct of the extreme heat across the European continent has been an outbreak of large wildfires and deadly severe thunderstorms.
In Greece, firefighters continue to battle several large fires, including in the forested island of Rhodes, and in the suburbs west of the capital of Athens, according to ABC News. The fires have forced the evacuation of at least four towns and villages in the country.
Smoke rises from a mountain during a wildfire in Mandra, west of Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Wildfire evacuations have continued for a third day outside the Greek capital as a second heat wave hit the Mediterranean country from the west after days of record-high temperatures baked southern Europe. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
During the record heat and dry conditions, officials in Greece called in other teams from across the European Union to help battle the fires. Mother Nature won't provide any relief of her own anytime soon, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
"There is no appreciable chance of rain across the area through at least the middle of this week, as the heat dome holds strong," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tony Zartman. "There are some signs that the dome could start to weaken by late July, so that would be the next chance for any showers to develop."
Meanwhile, along the edge of the dome of heat, daily thunderstorms have been rumbling from around the Alps into the Balkans. On Wednesday, some of the storms turned severe.
At least six people were killed — four in Croatia, one in Slovenia and one in Bosnia — when thunderstorms packing damaging wind gusts rolled through the Balkan nations, according to the AP. Powerful wind gusts toppled trees in the region, and lightning sparked fires that resulted in 40 people being rescued.
In Treviso, a city in northeastern Italy, giant hail from a thunderstorm smashed car windshields late Wednesday, according to photos posted to social media. In nearby Veneto, over 100 people were injured and houses were damaged by hailstones as large as tennis balls.
Sweltering heat to shift, but remain over parts of Europe
While the massive heat dome is expected to shift east, providing relief to some parts of Europe, AccuWeather forecasters expect record-setting temperatures to last into another week across south-central and southeastern parts of the continent.
"The heat dome responsible for the extreme heat from Northern Africa into Spain and east through Italy will shift toward the central and eastern Mediterranean region," said Zartman. "While the extreme heat has now ended in Spain and across the northern half of Italy, it will persist across southern Italy, the Balkans and Romania through at least early week."
Zartman added that the core of the heat, where temperatures will go above 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) regularly into this week, will be centered from southeastern Italy into the valleys of Albania and Greece.
Northwestern parts of Europe have been largely immune from the heat as of late.
"A weather pattern that has brought a series of storms featuring wind and rain has kept temperatures to near or below historical averages in the United Kingdom, northern France and northern Germany," said Zartman.
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