New heatwave heading to Southern Europe from tomorrow

Take precautions and stay protected as meteorologists are unsure how long it will last

Summer is starting to literally heat up and a new heatwave is expected to hit the Mediterranean region at the end of this week. Residents and travellers in countries, such as Greece, Italy and Spain are advised to take the necessary precautions as it is unclear how long the heatwave will last.

The interiors of these countries are likely to see temperatures above 40C. In Spain these could be up to 43 degrees, in Foggia (Italy) it could reach up to 44 degrees by the middle of next week.

Temperatures are due to peak at 10-15C higher than average in some areas. In parts of Sardinia, southern Italy and mainland Greece, maximum temperatures are expected to reach of 40-45C, compared with an average of around 32C.

Death toll from last summer’s heatwaves

Prolonged and frequent heatwaves seem to be becoming the norm in European summers reflecting concerns about global warming and climate change, which disproportionately affects the Old Continent.

According to the scientific journal Nature Medicine, the summer heatwaves in 2022 caused the death of more than 61,000 Europeans. That still didn’t reach the record of over 70,000 deaths in 2003, however, data shows that the last eight years have been the warmest on record.

These findings, published in a study in the journal, show that hotter weather is here to stay and is not just an occasional phenomenon. It has already caused European people and their governments to start adapting to the new realities and to include the concerns for a more livable urban environment in legislation, town planning and project financing, however, change might be coming too slowly.

The heatwave problem is especially pertinent to countries located on the three southern peninsulas: Iberian, Apennine and Balkan, all of which have coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea. The highest numbers of heat-related deaths were recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria.