Tunisia reaches 50.2 degrees Celsius

Heat swelters the Mediterranean with record-breaking temperatures

photo_camera AFP/LOUISA GOULIAMAKI - A man uses a fire extinguisher as local residents try to fight a forest fire in Dekelia, north of Athens, 3 August 2021

The first heat wave of the year is taking its toll on Mediterranean countries which, after days of fires from which they are still recovering, are on alert for record-breaking temperatures, as in the case of Tunisia, where temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius.

The situation is also worrying in other countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, such as Morocco and Algeria, where thermometers have reached 47 degrees, making it difficult to extinguish the fires that have already claimed the lives of 69 people.

On the northern shores, Spain, Italy, France, Greece and the Balkan countries have taken measures to minimise the effects of this heat wave which, according to weather forecasts, will not let up until the weekend.

Tunisia reaches 50.2 degrees Celsius

Tunisia recorded the highest temperatures in its history on Thursday, for the second consecutive day, reaching 50.2 degrees in the city of Kairouan (centre), a record on the African continent and the second highest in the world, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). 

The last time the country reported similar figures was in 2005 in the region of Tataouine (south), on the edge of the Sahara desert, with 50.1 degrees. 

The heatwave will leave temperatures today between 39 and 45 degrees Celsius, accompanied by sirocco winds, except in the southwest of the country, where it is expected to reach 49 degrees Celsius again.

Una imagen tomada el 3 de agosto de 2021 muestra las llamas que se elevan desde un incendio que se extiende en la ciudad de Oren, cerca de Milas, en la región vacacional de Mugla
Italy is close to 49 degrees Celsius

Southern and central-western parts of Italy are on alert until at least the end of the week for temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius.

The city of Syracuse on the southern island of Sicily reached 48.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which, if not confirmed, would be a new European record after the 48 degrees in Athens in 1977.

The rest of the southern regions remain on alert: Calabria, the tip of the Italian "boot", which reached 42 degrees Celsius, is expecting highs of 38 degrees today, the same as Campania, with its capital at Naples, and Lazio, the region of Rome.

Rome's Civil Protection service has set up several water bottle supply points for the Romans and the thousands of tourists who, despite the heat, are strolling around the city.

Una vista aérea desde un helicóptero muestra un gran incendio forestal que se desató cerca de Santu Lussurgiu, Cerdeña, Italia 25 de julio de 2021
Storms give Greece a respite

Greece dawned on Thursday with local thunderstorms providing a respite from two weeks of sweltering temperatures of over 46 degrees Celsius, during which the country experienced its worst wave of fires in living memory.

The slight drop in temperature and the rains, albeit brief, have helped on the island of Evia, the hardest hit by the fire, where firefighters are focusing on smothering outbreaks that are appearing in different parts of the north of the island.

Initial estimates point to 90,000 hectares burned across the country, an unprecedented ecological disaster.

Esta fotografía tomada el 4 de agosto de 2021 muestra coches y edificios quemados en Tatoi-Acharnes, al norte de Atenas, al producirse un incendio al pie del monte Parnes, a 30 kilómetros al norte de Atenas
Spain and France with several regions on alert

Most of Spain is on alert for temperatures that could exceed 42 degrees this Thursday and 44 degrees in the coming days, with the regions of Aragon and Catalonia (northeast) at extreme risk.

Only the northern regions will be spared from this heat wave, for which the authorities have taken measures in some places, such as banning or restricting the use of agricultural machinery, and access to forests and other natural sites.

The heat has also reached France, where peaks of 40 degrees Celsius are expected in the southeast of the country and some 20 departments are under a high temperature watch.

In the two departments where extreme vigilance has been called for, the Drôme and the Alpes de Haute Provence, minimum temperatures will be between 17 and 21 degrees, four to five degrees higher than usual at this time of year.

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