Record temperatures are on their way to Europe (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)
Some areas of Europe are set to be hit by their hottest ever temperatures as the deadly Cerberus heatwave sweeps across the continent.
Severe warnings are in place across several countries – and very serious concerns have been raised about the impact on human health, animals and crops.
Southern Europe sweltered under the fierce heatwave yesterday, but forecasters say it’s going to get even worse.
Greek authorities say it could reach as high as 44°C today and tomorrow, while the European Space Agency (ESA) warned we could see record highs in Europe in a ‘torrid’ July.
The ESA, whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, said: ‘Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with temperatures expected to climb to 48°C on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.’
Alerts have been in place across Spain’s Canary Islands, Italy, Cyprus and Greece and health authorities issued a top, red alert warning for 10 Italian cities for the next two days, including Rome, Florence, Bologna and Perugia.
In Greece, the government has ordered the suspension of work between 12pm and 5pm local time in areas where the risk from heat is very high – it has also requested remote work for private sector employees with health conditions.
Authorities are warning over the risk to human life (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)
There are concerns about the impact on those working outdoors in Italy after a 44-year-old man who was painting road markings in the northern town of Lodi collapsed and died this week.
‘Heat is a silent killer. So this is the main concern that people’s lives are at risk,’ said climate scientist Hannah Cloke, a professor at England’s Reading University.
Authorities put an ambulance on standby near the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens, ready to provide first aid to tourists wilting in the heatwave, which Italy’s Meteorological Society named ‘Cerberus’.
The impact of extreme summer heat has been brought into focus by research this week that said as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe’s sweltering heatwaves last summer.
Governments and employers are under pressure to do more to protect workers exposed to the burning sun in the latest heatwave, named after the three-headed dog of the underworld in Greek mythology.
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