Heat Wave Grips Portions of South America in the Middle of Winter

THE NEW YORK TIMES: An unusual winter heat wave has brought record high temperatures to cities across Argentina, Chile and Paraguay this week, triggering concerns about the impacts of climate change.

Residents of Buenos Aires were wearing shorts and fanning themselves as they struggled to cope with unusual heat on Tuesday. By Thursday, they were back in the jackets and scarves that they would normally wear at this time of the year.

The sudden change in wardrobe was the result of a heat wave gripping portions of South America, including Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, that are supposed to be experiencing winter.

Argentina’s capital city broke an 81-year-old daily temperature record on Tuesday, when the high reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit (or 30 degrees Celsius), according to the national weather service. Normally, highs in Buenos Aires this time of year are in the 60s.

“Climate change is not a distant scenario,” the service said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “It is here, and it is urgent to act.”

This week’s heat wave in South America is part of a recent trend of abnormally high temperatures in the middle of the continent’s winter and also comes as countries in the Northern Hemisphere have faced record heat this summer. » | Jesus Jiménez and Natalie Alcoba (Natalie Alcoba reported from Buenos Aires.) | Thursday, August 3, 2023

‘I’ve Never Seen Heat This Bad. It’s Not Normal’: Italy Struggles as Temperature Tops 40C

THE GUARDIAN: Anticyclone Caronte could send thermometer to 48C/118F as Mediterranean heatwave intensifies

A fierce anticyclone named after Cerberus, a three-headed monster-dog that features in Dante’s Inferno, had not even ended before Italians were warned that a more intense one called Caronte, or Charon, who in Greek mythology was the ferryman of the dead, was on its way.

Italy sweltered in temperatures reaching highs of 38C over the weekend, while Caronte will grip the country from Monday, sending the mercury beyond 40C in central and southern regions, with the islands of Sicily and Sardinia possibly hitting a peak of 48C.

Italians are used to hot summers. But not this hot, especially as the consecutive heatwaves struck abruptly, and followed a spring and early summer marked by storms, flooding and below average temperatures. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Saturday, July 15, 2023

Acropolis closes to protect tourists as Greece faces unprecedented heatwave: First-aid workers drafted in to treat visitors suffering effects of 48C – 118F –temperatures at the country’s most visited monument »

Die nächste Hitzewelle rollt schon an: Von Spanien über Griechenland bis in den Westen der Türkei – die Temperaturen erreichen neue Rekorde. Auf La Palma mussten wegen eines Waldbrandes 2500 Menschen in Sicherheit gebracht worden. Meteorologen warnen derweil vor der nächsten Hitzewelle. »

Canicule : de l’Italie à la Californie, le monde suffoque : Acropole fermée, mort de footballeurs amateurs italiens, incendies violents en Californie... Depuis le début de l’été, les épisodes caniculaires se succèdent et s’intensifient. »

Southern Europe Gripped by Cerberus Heatwave with Record Temperatures - BBC News

Jul 13, 2023 | A heatwave is sweeping across parts of southern Europe and north-west Africa, with potential record-breaking temperatures in the coming days. Temperatures are expected to surpass 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. In Italy, temperatures could reach as high as 48.8C (119.8F). A red alert warning has been issued for 10 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence. On Tuesday, a man in his forties died after collapsing in northern Italy.

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Cerberus Heatwave: Hot Weather Sweeps across Southern Europe

BBC: A heatwave is sweeping across parts of southern Europe and north-west Africa, with potential record-breaking temperatures in the coming days.

Temperatures are expected to surpass 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey.

In Italy, temperatures could reach as high as 48.8C (119.8F). A red alert warning has been issued for 10 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence.

On Tuesday, a man in his forties died after collapsing in northern Italy.

Italian media reported that the 44-year-old worker was painting zebra crossing lines in the town of Lodi, near Milan, before he collapsed from the heat. He was taken to hospital where he later died.

"We are facing an unbearable heatwave," Italian politician Nicola Fratoianni tweeted.

"Maybe it's the case that in the hottest hours, all the useful precautions are taken to avoid tragedies like the one that happened today in Lodi."

People have been advised to drink at least two litres of water a day and to avoid coffee and alcohol, which are dehydrating. » | BBC | Thursday, July 13, 2023

UK told to prepare for possible 30% increase in uncomfortably hot days: Britain and Switzerland among countries that need to adapt most for heating, says research looking at impact of 2C global rise »

India Heatwave: 96 People Dead Reportedly from Heat-aggravated Conditions

THE GUARDIAN: Questions raised about death toll after more than half of the fatalities reported in a single district in Uttar Pradesh

At least 96 people are reported to have died from heat-aggravated conditions during a blistering heatwave across two of India’s most populous states over the past several days, although questions have been raised after more than half of the deaths were reported in a single district.

The deaths happened in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the east, where 45C (113F) temperatures were recorded over the past few days, coupled with humidity. » | Amrit Dhillon in Delhi, and agencies | Monday, June 19, 2023

Asia Heatwave Pushing Temperatures to Record Levels

Apr 19, 2023 | Laos is the latest country to set a new all-time record as Luang Prabang reached 42.7°C (109°F) Tuesday, according to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera. Over the weekend, Thailand topped 45°C (113°F) for the first time in its history, according to Herrera, using data from the Thai Meteorological Department. On Monday, more than 100 weather stations in 12 provinces broke their April temperature record, according to climatologist Jim Yang. In the tropics, which encompasses much of Asia, people could be exposed to dangerous heat most days of the year, the study found. Days of “extremely dangerous heat”

UK Heatwave This Week Will Last Longer Than July’s but with Lower Temperatures

THE GUARDIAN: Peaks of about 35C expected on Friday or Saturday amid warnings of fire risk

Britain is braced for another heatwave that will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35C expected over the next week, forecasters have said.

Temperatures over the coming days will remain lower than the 40.3C reached in July, the hottest temperature on record, but the heatwave will continue over a “prolonged period”, the Met Office has said.

People have been urged not to have barbecues in the tinder-dry conditions after people from 15 homes were evacuated after a garden fire that spread out of control in Essex. » | PA Media | Monday, August 8, 2022

Death Toll Mounts in Europe as Wildfires and Heatwaves Inflict Havoc

THE GUARDIAN: Parts of France record highest-ever temperatures of plus-40C as wildfires ravage parts of continent

A firefighter battles a wildfire near La Teste-de-Buch, Gironde, in south-west France.Photograph: Clement Viala/infobassin.com/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock
Several towns and cities in France have recorded their highest-ever temperatures as nearly 2,000 firefighters continued to battle huge blazes in the south-west and a searing heatwave gripping much of western Europe moved north and east.

Nantes, near the Atlantic coast, recorded 42C on Monday, beating a previous high of 40.3C set in 1949, while Brest, in Brittany, hit 39.9C, more than four degrees higher than its 2002 record of 35.1C.

Night-time temperature records were also set, including at La Hague in Normandy where 32.8C was recorded at 3am on Tuesday. Officials said France’s entire west coast, from Landes in the south to Finistère in the north, was affected.

Records were expected to be smashed again on Tuesday, meteorologists said, as the mass of hot air, the second to engulf large parts of the continent in recent weeks, moved north and east into eastern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Britain was also set to record its highest ever temperature.

The Dutch KNMI weather service said temperatures could top 38C on Tuesday, issuing a code orange extreme weather warning of risk to life in the centre and south of the country, while officials in Belgium warned of 40C-plus temperatures. » | Jon Henley Europe correspondent | Tuesday, July 19, 2022

UK records its highest-ever temperature, as heatwave batters Europe: Heat measured at 39.1 degrees Celsius; at least five people drown while trying to cool off; wildfires continue to spread in France »

Heat Emergency Declared in England as Temperature Expected to Hit 40C

THE GUARDIAN: Heatwave arriving on Sunday expected to bring most extreme hot weather ever recorded in UK

The UK government has issued the first ever national emergency red alert for heat ahead of expected record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, with the hottest areas set to be in central and eastern England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has increased the “heat-health warning” alert for England to level 4 – the highest possible – for the first two days of next week, when the Met Office has forecast 40C (104F) for the first time.

The red alert, issued at 10.29am on Friday on the Met Office website, explains the level means a “national emergency”. It says it is “reached when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.” » | Robert Booth, Peter Walker and Gwyn Topham | Friday, July 15, 2022

Heatwave Sweeps across Europe | 5 News

Why Europe Is Facing a Record-breaking Heatwave and Drought across the Continent | DW News

Jul 6, 2022 Unpredictable and extreme weather events have long been forecast by climate scientists as global warming sets in. DW's correspondents have been monitoring how the effects are being felt this summer across Europe – from Spain to Greece, and in Germany.

Spain Heatwave Brings Record Temperatures - BBC News

Jun 14, 2022 • Temperatures in some areas of Spain are expected to hit or remain around 43 degrees celsius this week, as a sweltering heatwave continues to hang over the country. The soaring temperatures have caused the authorities to put many areas of the country on alert due to the risk of wildfires.

Article associé.

Spain Braces for Heatwave of ‘Extraordinary Intensity’

THE GUARDIAN: Country warned of risk of orange dust storms as forecasters predict France will see hottest May on record

Temperatures in parts of southern Spain are forecast to exceed 42C on Saturday as a heatwave of “extraordinary intensity” brings dusty skies, a heightened risk of forest fires and blistering conditions more usually seen in high summer than mid-May.

The Spanish government activated its national plan for excess temperatures on Thursday evening after the state meteorological agency, Aemet, warned that Spain was facing “one of the hottest Mays in this country in recent years”.

Aemet said a mass of hot, dry air is blowing in from Africa, carrying with it dust from the Sahara and “exceptionally high” daily temperatures that are between 10C and 15C above the seasonal average.

“The last updates to the meteorological models confirm the extraordinary intensity of this heatwave,” said Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for Aemet. » | Sam Jones in Madrid and Jon Henley in Paris | Friday, May 20, 2022

La majorité de la France menacée de sécheresse cet été »

US West Heatwave: 31 Million People Brace for Record-breaking Temperatures

THE GUARDIAN: Las Vegas could surpass its record-high of 117F as residents of US west face very high risk of heat-related illness

More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records could be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.

The “heat risk” is classified as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness due to both the long duration heat, and the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said. » | Victoria Bekiempis | Saturday, July 10, 2021

Wildfire in Spain as Europe Roasts

Several countries have broken their June temperature records after a huge reservoir of hot air from the Sahara engulfed Europe.

Hundreds of firefighters have struggled to contain a major wildfire in northeastern Spain. The Spanish military has sent a unit of 120 specialists to help local firefighters battle the flames, which have sent thick plumes of smoke high into the air above the Catalonia region.

Continental Europe Braced for 'Potentially Dangerous' Heatwave

THE GUARDIAN: High pressure pulling hot air northward from Africa will send temperatures soaring

A potentially record-breaking heatwave is forecast to grip much of continental Europe next week, with temperatures in cities from Spain to Germany set to exceed 32C and climb to more than 38C or even 40C in the hottest areas.

The combination of a storm stalled over the Atlantic and high pressure over central Europe would pull very hot air from Africa northward, leading to a “potentially dangerous heatwave over a large portion of western and central Europe”, forecaster AccuWeather said.

In France, temperatures of between 35C and 40C are expected across most of the country except Brittany from Monday, Météo-France said, and are unlikely to fall below 20C overnight.

“Even though it will be shortlived, this heatwave could be remarkable for its momentum and intensity,” the forecaster said in a bulletin. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Friday, June 21, 2019

Temperatures Soar in Cyprus … It’s so Hot That Steering Wheels Are Starting to MELT

EPOCH TIMES: The heatwave in Cyprus has sent temperatures up to 57 degrees Celsius, so hot that steering wheels have started to melt.

People have also been advised in the 134 degree Fahrenheit weather not to leave newspapers or other documents on their car dashboards, for fear that they will burst in flames.

Even higher temperatures–63 Celsius, or 145 Fahrenheit–were reported in Nicosia, the capital of the island.

The U.K. Met Office issued a warning to British travelers in or headed to the region, noting that the heatwave is hitting different parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean. » | Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times | Friday, August 7, 2015

Scorching 'Heat Dome' over Middle East Sees Temperatures Soar to 165F in Iran

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran is enduring a "heat index" of nearly 72C while Iraq has called a public holiday due to the sweltering temperatures

Iran is buckling under the pressure of a massive heatwave passing across the Middle East, with temperatures soaring to nearly 70C.

Scorching heat levels of 50C have already paralysed nearby Iraq, where officials were forced to call a four day public holiday because it was too hot to work.

But the word "hot" has taken on an entirely new meaning in Iran's city of Bandar Mahshahr, where it was claimed that the city's heat index, or "feels-like temperature", was among the highest ever recorded.

The heat index was recorded by a group of astonished weather experts who predict the country could be enduring some of the hottest urban temperatures ever endured by mankind. » | James Rothwell | Saturday, August 1, 2015

Canicule extrême dans l'ouest des États-Unis
LA PRESSE (CA): Un anticyclone puissant générera des conditions de canicule extrême dans l'ouest des États-Unis au cours des prochains jours.

Les météorologues préviennent que le mercure pourrait atteindre 54 degrés Celsius à Death Valley, dans le Nevada, soit quelques degrés de moins que le record de 57 Celsius atteint à ce même endroit il y a 100 ans.

Le National Weather Service prévoit 48 degrés à Phoenix et 47 à Las Vegas dimanche, un niveau atteint à seulement deux reprises dans le passé.

Le mercure devrait s'envoler aussi loin vers le nord qu'à Reno, au Nevada, à travers l'Utah et dans certaines régions du Wyoming et de l'Idaho, où le secteur de Boise doit s'attendre à des températures d'au moins 38 degrés pendant toute la fin de semaine. » | Associated Press | Pheonix | Arizona | vendredi 28 juin 2013

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: American West bakes in 'brutal' heatwave as temperatures approach world record: America's Western states are suffering a blistering heatwave as thermometers creep towards the highest temperatures ever recorded on earth. » | Hannah Strange, agencies | Saturday, June 29, 2013

Warnings Against Travel to Moscow as Russian Wildfires Blaze
THE TELEGRAPH: The US, Germany and France have asked citizens to avoid travel to Moscow as Russia struggles to battle wildfires which have claimed 52 lives and choked the capital.

Wildfire burning in a forest near the village of Golovanovo, Russia. Photo: The Telegraph
Germany closed its embassy until further notice and advised citizens against "non-essential" travel to the affected regions.

The US State Department asked nationals to seriously review travel plans.

"Forest fires and extreme high temperatures in the Moscow region and surrounding areas of central Russia have produced hazardous levels of air pollution and caused numerous flight delays and cancellations in Moscow," the department said in a warning set to expire on September 5.

"The hazardous air quality means that persons with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low. Everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors," it said.

The French foreign ministry also asked citizens to avoid travel to nine affected regions and announced it was sending experts to determine "the most adequate aid" it could offer.

Moscow's iconic landmarks such as the spires of the Kremlin towers or the onion domes of Orthodox churches were largely invisible from a distance on Friday as a heavy smog hung over the city after the worst heatwave in decades broke out in July. >>> | Saturday, August 07, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Russian heatwave kills 5,000 as fires rage out of control: Russia's devastating summer heatwave has cost almost 5,000 lives, according to officials who conceded yesterday that the state was struggling to gain control over the worst wildfires in decades. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Friday, August 06, 2010

The disaster in pictures >>>

Isn’t there anything that the British government can do in the way of assistance? It seems to me that we British should be doing something to help these poor people? I applaud the French for sending experts to Russia to determine the best way of helping the Russians battle with these dreadful, uncontrollable wildfires. – Mark