The heat wave engulfing the Mediterranean is set to intensify as another Saharan anticyclone threatens record temperatures from Sicily and Athens.
The new weather system — named Charon after mythological ferryman who delivered souls to the underworld – could bring temperatures as high as 45C (113F) to the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily on Monday, according to forecaster Il Meteo. New records could be reached over the coming days as the heat from the North African weather system builds.
Warnings that Europe’s all-time high of 48.8C could be breached this month come as climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather across the Northern Hemisphere. That’s triggering forest fires, disrupting transport and energy infrastructure and forcing tourists and workers to seek sanctuary from the soaring heat.
The World Meteorological Organization has said the extreme weather looks likely to become the “new normal,” underlining the increasing urgency of cutting fossil fuel emissions. Record global temperatures in June were followed by the hottest ever days this month.
That will take a rising toll on the economy, ecosystems and health. A recent study showed that more than 60,000 people died in Europe because of last summer’s heat waves.
In the US, tornado watches and flashflood warnings are up from Long Island through much of New England, while the heat in Death Valley edges toward a record. There are 881 fires burning across Canada, with 573 raging out of control, lowering the air quality across swathes of the region. China provisionally recorded its highest ever temperature on Sunday, according to the Met Office.
Madrid is set to exceed 40C for the first time this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Global Forecasting System. Andorra, which sits up at 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) in the Pyrenees between Spain and France experienced its first night when the temperature didn’t fall below 20C.
Further north, the UK and Nordic regions continue to dodge the heat, with cooler-than-normal temperatures forecast over the next 10 days. In Oslo, temperatures are set to drop as low as 8C, while highs in London will hover just above 20C, according to Maxar Technologies Inc.
