Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
17-07-2023
PARIS/ TOKYO/ NEW YORK: Record heat is forecast around the world from the United States, where tens of millions are battling dangerously high temperatures, to Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the rising threat from global warming.
Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
The meteo centre warned Italians to prepare for “the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time”.
The thermometer is likely to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Rome by Monday and even 43C (109F) on Tuesday, smashing the record 40.5C (104.9F) set in August 2007.
The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C (118F), the European Space Agency warned “potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe”.
“Parts of the country could see highs as much as 44C (111F) on Saturday,” according to the national weather service EMY. The central city of Thebes sweated under 44.2C (111.6F) on Friday.
The Acropolis, Athens’s top tourist attraction, closed for a second day straight Saturday during the hottest hours with 41C (106F) expected, as did several parks in the capital.
Regions of France, Germany, Spain and Poland are also baking in searing temperatures.
Parts of eastern Japan are also expected to reach 38 to 39C (100 to 102F) on Sunday and Monday, with the meteorological agency warning temperatures could hit previous records.
Meanwhile, the northern city of Akita saw more rain in half a day than is typical for the whole month of July, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported. The downpours also triggered at least one landslide, forcing 9,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Torrential rains described by the meteorological agency as the “heaviest rain ever experienced” have also hit southern Japan in recent weeks, leaving at least 11 people dead.
Relentless monsoon rains have reportedly killed at least 90 people in northern India, after burning heat. (Int’l News Desk)
