News

A heat wave named Cerberus has southern Europe in its jaws, and it's only going to get worse

Posted July 12, 2023 11:00 pm

A woman fans herself in Madrid, Spain, Monday, July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tourists in central Athens huddled under mist machines, and zoo animals in Madrid were fed fruit popsicles and chunks of frozen food, as southern Europeans braced for a heat wave Thursday, with a warning of severe conditions coming from the European Union's space agency.

Emergency measures – including staffing changes, cellphone alerts, and intensified forest fire patrols – were readied or put into effect in several countries as temperatures in parts of Mediterranean Europe were set to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113F) Friday and into the weekend.

In Athens and other Greek cities, working hours were changed for the public sector and many businesses to avoid the midday heat, while air-conditioned areas were opened to the public.

“It's like being in Africa,” 24-year-old tourist Balint Jolan, from Hungary, told the AP. “It's not that much hotter than it is currently at home, but yes, it is difficult.”

The high-pressure system, which crossed the Mediterranean from north Africa has been named Cerberus, after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld. It is being tracked by the European Space Agency.

“Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heat wave, with temperatures expected to climb to 48 degrees Celsius on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe” the agency said Thursday.

In the Arctic, a record high temperature of 28.8 degrees Celsius (83.8 degrees F) was measured at Slettness Fyr on the northern tip of the Norway, Norwegian meteorologists said Thursday. This tops a previous record from July 1964 when the thermometer reached 27.6 degrees Celsius (81.7 degrees F).

The United Nation's World Meteorological Organization on Monday said global temperatures recorded in early July were among the hottest on record.

—-

Associated Press writers Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.

A man holds an umbrella as he and other tourists enters the ancient Acropolis hill during a heat wave, in Athens, Greece, Thursday, July 13, 2023. The government has announced emergency measures this week, allowing workers to stay home during peak temperature hours as a heat wave is due to affects most of Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A tourist takes a selfie as a couple sit under an umbrella in front of the five century BC Erechteion temple at the Acropolis hill during a heat wave, in Athens, Greece, Thursday, July 13, 2023. The government has announced emergency measures this week, allowing workers to stay home during peak temperature hours as a heat wave is due to affects most of Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A tourist drinks water as she and a man sit under an umbrella in front of the five century BC Parthenon temple at the Acropolis hill during a heat wave, in Athens, Greece, Thursday, July 13, 2023. The government has announced emergency measures this week, allowing workers to stay home during peak temperature hours as a heat wave is due to affects most of Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A woman uses an umbrella to take shelter from the sun as she walks in downtown Rome, Thursday, July 13, 2023. An intense heat wave has reached Italy, bringing temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius in many cities across the country.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A man cools off at a fountain during a sunny day in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A boy shows off his swimming skills while cooling off in the river Arges, outside Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Nation and World News

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.