STORY: Greece closed its ancient Acropolis during the hottest part of the day on Friday to protect tourists from temperatures which soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
And in Italy, meteorologists are calling the next phase of the heatwave “Charon” – a reference to the ferryman of the souls of the dead in Greek mythology.
So, just how bad is it?
The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, warned that Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland all face extreme conditions.
Temperatures could break Europe’s current record – 119 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in Sicily in August 2021.
The impact from extreme summer heat has been brought into focus by a new study… it says as many as 61,000 people may have died from the sweltering heat across Europe last summer.
Record temperatures are expected in parts of southern Europe next week.
Joan Ballester is a professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health…
He says France has learned lessons from a deadly 2003 heatwave that others should follow.
“There are measures that are relatively cheap, like for example, coordinating public entities. Also doing a census of vulnerable populations and coordinating them through public services can be relatively cheap, but there are much more expensive measures, like for example, the redesign of cities to improve housing conditions.”
Doctors say poorer elderly people with existing health problems are most at risk.
Angel Abad is from the office of sustainable development at Madrid’s La Paz hospital.
“Most have a low socio-economic background and we know that in these cases people who don’t have air conditioning are more vulnerable. They face a higher risk and higher mortality upon arriving at an emergency ward.”
