Temperatures reached new highs in the northern hemisphere, where heat waves and fires directly affect the population, such as in Greece, which evacuated on Monday 1,200 children from a coastal area before the advance of the flames.
The health authorities have issued heat alerts in the United States, Europe and Asiaand remember that it is necessary to hydrate and protect yourself from the sun, in a new illustration of the effects of global warming.
Several fires broke out near Athens, the cital of Greece, fueled by strong winds.
The Mediterranean nation recorded its first heatwave of the year over the weekend, with temperatures that exceeded 44º C.
evacuations
In Kouvaras, east of Athens, a fire swept through the area and reached another town some 40 km southeast of the cital.
The police arrested a man suspected of starting the fireannounced a spokesman for the fire department.
Further west, near the coastal town of Loutraki, along the Corinth Canal, authorities evacuated 1,200 children. who were in summer campsaccording to the town’s mayor, Giorgos Gkionis.
The authorities also issued evacuation orders in other coastal areas due to the advance of the flames.
In Europe, heating progresses twice as fast than the world average, according to experts.
Italy is preparing, for example, to face the highest temperatures in its history. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia hope to reach 48ºC, according to the European Space Agency.
In Rome, 42 ° C is expected on Tuesday, an absolute record for the cital, according to the meteorological agency of the Italian Air Force.
“We are from Texas and it is very hot there, We thought we’d esce the heat, but it’s even cooler here“Colman Peavy, a 30-year-old tourist, said while drinking a cpuccino in the center of the Italian cital.
The Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas, warned that “extreme weather events have important repercussions on human health, ecosystems, the economy, agriculture, energy and water supply”.
The expert insisted on the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
And it is that nobody gets rid. In Cyprus, where temperatures are expected to stay above 40ºC until Thursday, a 90-year-old man died of heat stroke and three other elderly people were hospitalized, health authorities reported.
In Spain, which has already experienced a sweltering week, the meteorological agency issued an orange alert for Monday, with “unusually high temperatures” of between 38 and 42 °C in much of the country, which means between 5 and 10°C above average.
In some areas of Andalusia (south) the alert is red (extreme danger), with temperatures that could exceed 44 ºC.
In France, temperatures could reach 40 °C on Tuesday in the southeast of the country, according to Meteo-France.
In United States
In the United States, meteorological services are observing an “oppressive” heat wave in the south and west of the country and are predicting several record temperatures.
In the famous Death Valley, in California, one of the hottest places on the planet, the thermometer almost reached 52°C on Sunday.
Several fires in southern California devastated more than 3,000 hectares and caused evacuations of the population.
In Florida, the city of Miami issued its first “excessive heat” alert in its history.
And in Canada, more than ten million hectares have already burned. This Monday 882 fires were still active, 579 of them considered out of controlaccording to the Canadian Forest Fire Center (CIFFC).
China recorded a temperature of 52.2°C on Sunday in the Xinjiang region (west), a record for mid-July, the meteorological service reported on Monday.
A semi-desert territory bordering several Central Asian countries, Xinjiang is generally China’s warmest region in summer.
Jan issued heat alerts in 32 of the country’s 47 prefectures on Monday, with temperatures close to 2018’s all-time record of 41.1°C.
“It is clear that the climate has changed. Before, the temperature [en la prefectura de Yamanashi, cerca de Tokio] it never reached 30ºC. Now it’s easily reached,” lamented Tomaya Abe, 50.
The country is also facing torrential rains that have already left at least eight people dead.
In neighboring South Korea, heavy rains in recent days have left 39 dead.
AFP Agency
bp
Source: Clarin
