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Europe to Experience Record-Breaking Heat as Italy Faces Dire Consequences

© AP Photo / Gregorio BorgiaA woman puts her hand under water flowing from a fountain with a she-wolf head in Rome, Friday, July 14, 2023. An intense heat wave has reached Italy, bringing temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius in many cities across the country.
A woman puts her hand under water flowing from a fountain with a she-wolf head in Rome, Friday, July 14, 2023. An intense heat wave has reached Italy, bringing temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius in many cities across the country.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.07.2023
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After a recent report revealed that more than 61,000 Europeans died last summer due to extreme heat, the European Space Agency (ESA) is now detailing similar scorching temperatures are in store for the 2023 summer season.
An anticyclone named Cerberus has been moving up from North Africa toward southern Europe and is forecasted to bring record-breaking temperatures to the region, putting millions under heat wave advisories amid an already heavy tourist season.
“Temperatures are sizzling across Europe this week amid an intense and prolonged period of heat. And it’s only just begun,” the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement. “Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heat wave with air temperatures expected to climb to 48°C (118.4°F) on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.”

According to the ESA, climate warming is being amplified by El Niño, a term which refers to the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

El Niño occurs irregularly at two- to seven-year intervals, but is not regular or predictable, and has intense and unpredictable effects on our global climate.

The disastrous heat wave has already prompted Greece to close the popular tourist site of the ancient Acropolis during the hottest part of the day on Friday in a bid to shelter visitors from the dangerous heat wave. The country is preparing for temperatures that could reach 44°C (107.6°F) on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, tourists in Rome have already collapsed after experiencing heat strokes.

Italy and Spain felt the brunt of the heat, with Rome, Naples, Taranto and Foggia experiencing temperatures that exceeded 45°C (113°F) between July 9 and July 10.

During that time, the ESA also reported land surface temperatures along the east slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily with temperatures over 50°C (122°F).

Air temperatures in parts of Spain are expected to reach 44°C (111.2°F), while land surface temperatures in Seville will hit 47°C (116.6°F).
On Wednesday, Alessandro Miani, the president of the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA) told a state broadcaster that Italy has a record of being a European country with the highest number of deaths caused by heat waves. By Friday, the Italian Health Ministry issued an “extreme” health risk warning for at least 15 cities, as Cerberus will persist through Saturday and Sunday.
An unidentified mother gives her small child a freshening dip in one of the dolphin fountains in  London's Trafalgar square Saturday August 12, 1995 - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.07.2023
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Researchers Estimate Over 61,000 People Died During Europe’s Hottest Summer
The extreme heat in Italy has already killed a 44-year-old worker that was painting a zebra crossing in the town of Lodi, outside of Milan on Tuesday.
Europe’s extreme temperatures follow record-breaking global temperatures, with the World Meteorological Organization announcing on Monday that the planet saw its hottest few days on record in the first few days of July.

It also follows a report by public health experts across Europe, that revealed more than 61,000 Europeans had died during summer heat waves last summer.

Those countries that experienced the highest mortality rates included (from greatest to least) Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal.

Governments across Europe have not been able to accommodate for extreme heat in the region since it first experienced such emergencies in 2003, during the continent's hottest year on record which left an estimated 70,000 people dead.
While some European governments have tried to put in place some strategies such as warning systems and cooling spaces, they have also missed carbon emission targets intended to slow climate change, which is exacerbating the heat and has contributed to at least 60% of observed deaths, experts say.
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