Europe's Hottest Temperature Ever May Have Just Been Registered in Italy

  • 3 years ago
Europe's Hottest Temperature Ever , May Have Just Been Registered in Italy.
On August 11, temperatures on the Italian island
of Sicily reached 119.8F, or 48.8C.
The BBC reports that the record breaking
temperature still needs to be verified by
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
According to the WMO, the current official record in Europe is 48C, was registered in 1977 in Athens, Greece.
The current heatwave in Italy is the result of an anticyclone, nicknamed Lucifer, moving north from Africa.
Lucifer is expected to continue north across the country, raising temperatures as it goes, including in the capital, Rome.
Italy's health ministry has already issued "red" alerts for extreme heat in several regions.
According to the BBC, the number of cities facing the highest health risk is expected to rise from eight to 15 by August 13.
The heatwave has led caused wildfires to spread across southern Italy, with Sicily, Calabria and Puglia the worst-hit regions.
Italian firefighters on Wednesday said they had been involved in more than 300 operations in Sicily and Calabria over a 12-hour period, battling through the night to control blazes burning thousands of acres of land.
Separately, wildfires are continuing across Greece, fuelled by strong winds and parched vegetation. Foreign teams are helping to tackle blazes in what Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has described as a "nightmarish summer".
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions

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