Greece and Italy prepare for hellish heat: they will approach 50 degrees

Greece and Italy continue this weekend on red alert for extreme heat as their populations prepare for almost unparalleled highs in official records in the middle of next week.

The island of Sardinia, for example, will register this coming Monday 48ºC, less than a degree of difference from the national record of 48.8ºC registered two years ago in Sicily. Two days later, some Greek towns will reach 47ºC, in the midst of the numerous forest fires that started last Monday near Athens, the capital, still active.

“The difficult days are not over yet,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on Thursday, in permanent contact with other European leaders in case it is necessary to ask for more international help.

Multiple high-pressure fronts are bringing extreme heat across the planet's northern hemisphere, from California's Death Valley to Turpan in western China.. These heat waves are becoming more intense and prolonged as fossil fuel emissions warm the planet.

The Greek authorities have, for the time being, asked people with health problems to work from home and public services to show flexibility in working hours. Officials in outdoor activities have been told to stop serving after noon.

For its part, Italy's Health Ministry has warned of emergency conditions in 19 major cities, including Rome, Naples and Cagliari.

Heat is increasing energy demand in southern Europe. Spain has been forced to use all its gas plants to cope with rising electricity demand on Wednesday, as people turned to air conditioning to cope, according to the industry association Sedigas, in a report collected by Bloomberg.

While the Mediterranean suffocates, northern Europe will stay cool for the next ten days. The temperature in London will remain this Saturday 5.5 °C below the average this Saturday, according to Maxar Technologies Inc., while capitals such as Oslo (Norway) will maintain this Saturday the 9.5º C of Friday.